Into the Woods
by Anonymous Plume
Summary: Alice returns to Underland to find that Stayne has been causing mischief in the Outlands, the Hatter has become a tortured rogue, and a dark potion threatens the souls of Witzend. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Three years.

It's strange how much things can change in three years.

Alice stood amongst the shadows, patches, and broken beams of weak sunlight filtering through the canopy at the edge of Tugley Woods, and gazed out at the surreal image fighting with what her mind knew to be unpossible.

Before her lay the mouldered remains of what had been Thackery Earwicket's home and his delightfully ramshackle set of tea tables.

The fires had long since died out, and much of the ashen remains had blown away several months ago with the wind. Alice Kingsleigh, Marmoreal's Champion, stared ahead sadly as a feeling of loss and anger washed over her. A hollow silence settled where once the sounds of laughter and mad cackling had echoed through the trees. There were no brightly coloured ribbons, jams or teapots. There were no stacks of books upon chairs on which to sit. There were no chipped cups and saucers scattered among scones.

A bitterness filled her chest and radiated clear through to her toes. This was wrong. This sad, empty, ruined clearing had once been a place of light and safety for her as a child; it was where she'd first met those who would become her dearest lifelong friends.

Now they had all gone.

Beside her, a tattered, singed scrap of yellowed lace from a tablecloth fluttered in a tangle of dead tree branches. Alice reached out to it and cut a strip off, rubbing the coarse fabric reverently between her fingertips.

With determination, she inhaled and tucked the memento into the leather satchel at her hip, that held various necessities the queen had given her, and cast one final glance back to the broken remains of a once vibrant tea party.

Behind her, the bandersnatch pawed anxiously at the earth as if ready to move on; they had a job to do and there was precious little time to waste.

Taking the cue, Alice mounted the beast, and together they set off for the wilds of Witzend, and away from the ruins of Tugley Woods.

Having picked their way through the woods, they reached the edge and burst out into open, flat meadowland, heading West. Overhead, the sun shone brightly, and for the first time since she'd arrived, Alice felt as if something was finally working in her favour. She was grateful to have returned to Underland in the fall, elsewise the journey she was undertaking would be decidedly more miserable.

As Bandy and Alice raced across hill and dale, the heavy feeling in her gut grew more and more unsettling, and the White Queen's words echoed around her head.

She'd said that after Alice had left, Marmoreal, and most of Underland, had enjoyed only a couple years' worth of relative peace. Although, as would later be discovered, in some areas, that had only been superficial. Following Mirana's banishment of Iracibeth and Stayne to the Outlands, the knave promptly disposed of his literal ball and chain and had quietly begun plotting his recompense.

When word of his deceit had finally reached the queen, she dispatched her most trusted emissary to his native land to gauge the situation. Several months later, like the deteriorating conditions in Witzend, it appeared her agent was losing a near imaginary fight, and quickly.

That's when her Champion had arrived.

When Alice, who had initially been exceedingly excited to be back, had learned that she'd returned at yet another apparently pre-destined time again, her spirits wilted just the tiniest bit. She wondered if she would only ever return to Underland during a crisis. The thought was more than a little depressing.

The White Queen had reluctantly tasked Alice with finding her Royal Hatter, and the young woman was only too eager to begin. When she'd realized that her friend wouldn't be nearby to welcome her to her other home, it had upset Alice more than she'd let on. Now, the queen's noble interests aside, his well-being was her top priority.

The Champion and the bandersnatch rode hard for two days, stopping only out of necessity. By late afternoon of the third day, they had reached the innermost regions of Witzend, and Alice allowed themselves a break at the first proper village they encountered.

The frightening pair was directed, grudgingly, to a small inn where Alice procured a meagre meal for herself while Bandy had gone off to hunt. The innkeeper paid only as much attention to her as was acceptable, and Alice was a bit alarmed at the behaviour the locals displayed towards her. The only other creatures that had been as rude to her, in this land, were the flowers when they'd thought she was a weed.

Nevertheless, she soldiered on quietly. Finally, when she was halfway through her supper, the tetchy innkeeper approached, at his wife's prodding, and set down a mug of weak ale. "Wel ya be stayin' o'ernigh'?" he asked.

Alice swallowed her food, but before she could answer, the innkeeper pressed on, eyes averted. "We don' have n'more rooms, y'know. Ye can stay in th'back if ye mus'."

Alice blinked up at him, perplexed and a little outraged – she was only one of two patrons in the room.

"No. I'm only here long enough for a quick rest." This was a lie. She sincerely hoped to sleep in a bed that night. Given her options now though, she'd take dry, open-air fields and a warm bandersnatch as opposed to the dingy, mice infested straw of someone's spare shed.

The skittery man with grizzled gray hair glanced at the royal crest on Alice's tunic. He nodded, quietly relieved, and returned to the bar counter.

"Although," Alice continued, nonplussed, "I am looking for information."

The innkeeper's wife seemed to puff up quietly, and her husband froze.

"I'm looking for someone, but I don't think he's from here," she said, intrigued with their reaction. The Hatter, an Outlander himself, had always seemed so friendly and inviting. His people, however, appeared to be another story altogether.

"Aye, an' why would ye thin' I have tha'?" he asked with an air of frustration.

Alice set down her spoon and turned to face him. "You seem like the sort who knows a little bit about everything." She kept her tone polite and cheerful in the hopes that she wouldn't alienate him.

This response flustered him, and he waved her off, but glanced at the other man a few tables over. "Yer th'on'y one here what isn' local, lass."

Outside, someone shrieked as the bandersnatch sauntered back to wait by the inn and chewed on the leg of some dead thing.

The man's wife bustled over to Alice and began clearing away empty plates and bread crumbs before she'd even finished.

"Best move on, nauw," she hissed quietly and hurried off to the kitchen.

Alice gazed after her with a frown. Something was decidedly off here. In her experience, tavern keepers were typically an extraverted bunch who was always interested in news from travellers and guests. These people seemed reluctant to even engage in small talk, and for all intents and purposes, Bandy aside, there was nothing about Alice that suggested mischief. Very curious. She mulled this over, but eventually decided that she'd get nothing further out of her so-called hosts, and growing increasingly agitated, she finished her meal in contemplative silence. Perhaps she would have better luck with other people in town.

When she had finished, she stood up from the table, preparing to leave, when the innkeeper skittered back over to her under the pretence of wiping off the table.

"Yeh bes' keep silen' here, lass. It's Farowen yeh wan' ta go for news."

His eyes flashed quickly to the man who continued to sit quietly in the corner, then gathered her remaining dishes and left.

Alice stared after him curiously and took note of the feeling of eyes on the back of her neck. Perhaps it wasn't obstinacy she was facing so much as fear.

Outside, the sun had set farther than she'd liked, but nevertheless felt she should heed the innkeeper's advice and move on. According to the map she'd been given, Farowen was about five hours north-northwest, and it was too late in the day to start that next leg. They could sleep somewhere just outside the town's limits and begin again in the morning.

As they left the village, they passed small houses and farms dotted every now and then along what appeared to be one of the main roads cutting through Witzend. After having accidentally scared the daylights out of a dozen or so harmless passers-by, Alice felt it would be best to travel near the road, rather than on it, given that they were now in more densely populated territory; and to most a bandersnatch was a terribly frumious sight to behold.

They slept in peace and picked up their journey the following morning without incident. However, because they were sticking to the forests beside the road, they'd lost more time than previously anticipated, and the first rooftops of Farowen weren't visible until much later in the day.

Alice directed Bandy onto the path as they entered the outskirts of the village, and as predicted, all those they encountered ran off, terrified.

As they got closer to town, more and more homes sprang up, neighbourhoods formed, and the passing Outlanders' fear eventually began turning into hostility. Alice loosed the hilt of her dagger just in case, and Bandy lowered his great head menacingly. It was soon evident that Farowen was much larger than the previous village, and it was hoped that their animosity didn't match to scale.

When they neared the village centre, Alice jumped down and chose to walk beside her companion in an effort to appear less threatening. Soon, they came to a large intersection, with no apparent lodgings in any direction, and they stood to the side of the flow of partly terrified, curious, and shifty villagers populating the street.

Eventually, one brave man in a patched straw hat who had been watching the action from the doorway of a squat little house approached the Champion with a long staff draped across his shoulders carelessly.

"Wha's yehr bus'ness, stranger?" he asked haughtily.

Alice took in his lazily arrogant demeanour and did not care for his tone. She didn't like this man, but seeing as he was the only one willing to speak with her, she acknowledged him and replied. "We're looking for a possible place to stay for the evening."

The Outlander spat something brown onto the ground and looked Alice up and down. "We?" he repeated.

She stood her ground, not willing to be intimidated. "My friend and I," she said, patting the imposing bandersnatch at her side.

The man was soon joined by three or four other men of equal stature and disposition, but none of them were forthcoming with any further information regarding an inn.

Alice sighed and made to continue, hoping for more helpful individuals up the street.

"Yeh call tha' a frien'?" called another Outlander, gripping a pitchfork.

The bandersnatch growled quietly.

"Yeh di'nae answer me, lass," said the first, spitting another foul wad of something onto the dirt.

She stopped and cast a disparaging look at the man. "I didn't think it was relevant to my needing a room to stay in. My business is my own."

The men laughed and closed in just the slightest bit. Alice was alarmed to realize that there were now a crowd of at least a dozen people gathered around them.

"Tha thin' abou' tha' is," the first man continued on, lazily dropping his staff from his shoulders, "tha bus'ness o'strangers is tha bus'ness of ours." He stopped two feet from Alice and eyed the bandersnatch warily. "An' those who come in wi'somthin' like tha' tends ta bring abou' concern."

Alice met his glare and forced a tight grin. "Well, fortunately, I'm not a cause for concern."

" Aye?"

She nodded and considered the ramifications of reaching for the dagger at her side, but supposed that would actually negate what she'd just said.

"All I need is a room."

The man's eyes flicked up the street towards a large, two storey building two blocks up.

"We don' need trouble here," shouted someone from the crowd. Others mumbled in agreement, and Alice held her hands up in supplication.

"I'm only looking for a friend and then I'll be on my way."

A large-nosed man to her right stepped forward. "A friend like tha one you brough'?" he asked, indicating the bandersnatch. A woman with curls atop her head now peeked out at her from the row of buildings behind the crowd.

Alice quickly shook her head and took a careful step to the side. "No. He's a hatter, actually." She hoped that sounded as light-hearted as she felt anxious.

The crowd went silent, and Alice was immediately aware of a shift in mood. Several villagers took a step back, while others narrowed their eyes. She decided it was a very Bad shift.

"A hatter?" the first man said, eyes slitted in anger.

Alice swallowed and leaned against the bandersnatch as the villagers openly displayed their distaste for her. Bandy growled much more audibly now, and they all took a hasty few steps backward.

"We know of no _hatter_," the man said, looking at Alice with even more suspicion. The woman at the back of the crowd was staring at Alice with surprise and interest. Alice just caught the look and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeh should move on, lass!" someone called from behind her. Bandy bared his teeth in warning.

"We wan' no trouble!" a woman shouted again.

Alice took the opportunity and tugged on Bandy's shoulder.

"Well then, we'll do just that." She flashed an apologetic smile and moved through the crowd, thanks to her companion's threatening leers.

The group of five men, however, continued to follow Alice. She quickened her pace and grabbed the hilt of her dagger.

As they walked away, her mind raced. Given their response they had obviously lied about knowing the Hatter, but what would cause them to react in such a way? What were they hiding? Furthermore, what could he have possibly done to warrant such hatred at the mere mention of him?

The men were getting closer, and Alice took the next side street she encountered.

"Quickly," she whispered to the bandersnatch. Ahead, there was a break in houses; an alleyway they could perhaps hide out in until her pursuers had dispersed.

"Inside," someone called to her right.

Alice started in surprise and turned to see who had spoken. It was the curly-haired woman from the crowd. She was standing in front of an open doorway and gestured within.

"Hurry up nauw," she hissed, looking towards the main street. Alice took a chance and made for the house.

"_Tha_' stays out," she barked anxiously, looking at the bandersnatch with concern.

"Hide for awhile," Alice said hastily to Bandy and ducked inside. He grumbled but obeyed and took off for the alley ahead.

Once inside, Alice shied away from the windows and stood quietly as the woman who had helped her remained outside on her porch.

The woman leaned casually against the wooden railing as the group of men came trolling up the /

Alice peeked just slightly out the window, partially hidden behind drapes, and waited. The woman had acknowledged them, but otherwise appeared indifferent.

"Did yeh see where they wen', Li'?"

Alice held her breath.

"Who? Tha blonde an' tha beast?"

"Aye, who else?" said a second.

The pretty woman jerked her head to another side street on the left and crossed her arms, as if she could care less. "No idea."

Four of the men nodded and made for that direction, but the first man grinned up at her. "P'raps I should stay nearby an' keep yeh safe."

The woman placed her hands upon her hips and barked out a sarcastic laugh. "As if you stood a chance agains' tha' wild thin', Samlin Dunagh." With that, the brunette turned and left the man to catch up to his fellows.

Alice wasn't sure if she should breathe a sigh of relief or not, and when the woman looked over to her, Alice immediately felt her instincts kick in. This was a person to be cautious around.

"Nauw," the woman said, a sudden fierceness to her voice, "how do you know Tarrant?" Her eyes flashed dangerously and she produced a silver blade, cautiously directing it at Alice.

She pulled her own dagger at her hip and swallowed. Had this woman just used his first name?

"Who are you?" Alice asked quietly. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to send Bandy off so quickly.

_'Oh, well done, Alice,'_ she mentally chided.

"I asked firs'," the woman said. "How do yeh know him, an' what do yeh wan' with him?"

Alice's eyes had finally adjusted to the light inside, and she carefully glanced around at her surroundings. There were shelves and shelves of bottles, and phials and other medicinal looking paraphernalia. She sincerely hoped these were being used for good.

"My name is Alice," she said carefully.

The woman's eyes narrowed, but she lowered the blade. "Alice." she said.

The stranger cautiously stepped towards a large, wall-sized set of shelves and glanced down at a small pewter cauldron whose contents Alice couldn't see.

"_The _Alice?" she continued curiously.

Alice just fought the urge to groan. "Yes. I suppose."

"Suppose?"

"I've slain a Jabberwocky if that's what you're asking."

The woman stared for a moment at her, then grinned the slightest bit. "An' how do I know you aren' tellin' stories?"

Alice blinked, then tugged at her tunic. "Well, I'm bearing the queen's mark on my clothes, I arrived with her personal guard, and I easily made a mess of something that could have been much simpler to have handled. If that isn't enough, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it."

The curly-haired brunette nodded, her guard coming down more and more, until she inhaled and finally put her little blade away.

"Yeh still haven' told me why yeh'r lookin' for Tarrant."

"And you have yet to explain to me how you know him, nor give me a reason why I should trust you," Alice countered.

The woman smiled then and gestured to a seat opposite her. "Yeh mean other than savin' yehr life?"

Alice put her dagger away as well and sat. "They might not have tried to kill me."

The lady sniffed in amusement. "I doubt tha' beast would have let them, true." She frowned momentarily. "What is tha' by tha way?"

"Bandersnatch."

The lady gawked. "Is it nauw?"

"Tar- the Hatter?" Alice prompted. It felt odd to say his given name.

She regarded Alice carefully and nodded. "Aye. For future ref'rence, don' speak of him ta anyone ou'side his circle."

"And who is in his circle?"

The woman sat quietly, still staring at Alice with curiosity.

"You, I suppose?" she went on.

The woman nodded.

"Incidentally, who are you?"

The mysterious woman stood up and went to the fireplace to put a kettle over the flames.

"My name is Lilas Thistle. Are yeh hungry?"

Alice's stomach rumbled on cue, and she watched her shuffle about preparing food.

"He's no' here," Lilas added with her back to her.

Alice's heart dropped. "Then where?"

Her hostess sliced through a loaf of bread. "Th'forest. Outside tha village. He's no' been ta town for nigh on a week." She looked up. "Due back any day, I'd think."

"Wonderful!" Alice chirped, finally feeling as if she were making progress.

Lilas sharply turned towards her. "Yeh've no'said why yeh were lookin' for him."

Alice's grin faded and she again felt suddenly cautious. "I'm afraid that's all I can say for now."

Lilas stared at her a moment before turning back to their supper.

The women ate, and Alice was supremely grateful for not only the food, but for the overall hospitality. She was eager to move on, however, as she was apparently close to finding her friend.

Alice asked only a few questions about her, feeling it was in her best interest to remain discreet. She'd learned that Lilas was a Healer, although Alice had her doubts that they shared the same definition. She'd known the Hatter since they were children, thus she'd known his family. She was part of some sort of "circle" of individuals the Hatter dealt with; and she was fiercely protective of him. This more than anything bothered her in an odd sort of childish way. And while she was thankful for all Lilas had told her, she still didn't altogether trust this person.

Her stomach full, and the streets empty, Alice finally rose to say goodbye.

"Thank you for your help."

Lilas inclined her head then turned to the wall-sized shelf at her side. Her fingers danced over several glass bottles and phials of all colours and shapes, until coming to rest on a small rack hidden between two massive tomes.

"T'would be so kind," Lilas said while plucking two phials from their rack, "if yeh gave these ta Tarrant for me."

She quickly checked the softly simmering, pewter cauldron Alice had noticed earlier, then turned back to face her as if unsure. "On secon' though', it might be better if yeh waited til th'morrow, lass."

Alice internally bristled at the inferior term, and ignored the moderate excitement she'd felt at the thought of sleeping in a bed.

"I'm too close to stop now, but thank you."

Lilas approached her slowly, the phials cradled in her practised hands. "Th' woods ou' there are really no place ta be alone. 'Specially for those who don' know its secrets."

The older woman stopped short of Alice and gave her an appraising glance.

"Then again, yeh do have tha' terrible beastie wi'yeh."

Alice forced a smile and held out her hands for the phials. "I'm sure I've faced worse before. What are these?"

Lilas smiled and laid them in Alice's waiting palms. "He'll know." She swept past and checked the street outside to make sure it was clear. "If you're goin', go nauw. Be quick about it, and head straigh' through th'meadow outside of town. Tha forest is just beyond."

Alice nodded and settled the phials in her leather satchel.

She said nothing further to the strange woman and quietly called for Bandy. He slithered out from the shadows of the alley and gave her a quick snuffling on the cheek before letting her climb up onto his back. Her body lightly ached with fatigue, but the thought of finding her friend was too exciting.

The sun was, once again, lower in the sky than she'd have liked, but if the Hatter were truly nearby, what was a bit of darkness to stop her from finding him?


	2. Chapter 2

Ahead, a dense forest loomed at the outer edges of the meadow bordering the village. She glanced up at the fading light and felt slightly unnerved at the disadvantage they faced as a result. For a moment she nearly reconsidered entering.

"No, we've come too far to get this close," she murmured, and patted Bandy reassuringly.

They pushed ahead, and she ducked as a wayward branch dangled ominously above the path. The temperature seemed to drop an instant ten degrees, and the wind that had previously blown across her face altogether disappeared.

The bandersnatch carefully picked its way as quickly as possible, and all in all was doing a wonderful job of staying quiet. They were making better time than she had thought, and if she had to guess, she would have supposed they'd gone nearly a mile in without incident.

Another quarter mile later, however, was a different story. The bandersnatch suddenly paused and raised its great furry head, sniffing to the left. Alice unconsciously held her breath and gripped tightly with her legs, lest he decide to bolt. Seeing nothing though, she exhaled and lightly tapped him at the side, urging him onward.

They continued on the barely discernible path, but Bandy slowed his gait, and beneath her, she could feel his muscles tense once more. She too felt a bit on edge and at length realized that the forest around them had grown much darker. And silent.

"Perhaps we should move more quietly." She leant forward and whispered at his ear. Bandy agreed, and did exactly that.

Something felt off, and Alice's sense instinctively sharpened. Something about these woods distinctly unsettled them. Above her, the light trickling in through the thick canopy was dimming, and she considered stopping soon for the night. She knew in her bones that she was getting closer to the Hatter, but she also felt a bit like a sitting duck at the moment too. She reached for the dagger at her belt and tugged on Bandy's spotted fur.

He came to a stop and let her slide off. She looked around them, still feeling uneasy, and patted the side of his face. "Do you feel that?" she whispered. The bandersnatch butted against her hand and nodded anxiously. "I think we need to be extra cautious."

Once more they moved on, only this time side by side. Each stone they overturned, and each rustling of dead leaves underfoot made her cringe. She simply couldn't shake the feeling that something was out there. Alice kept her hand at the dagger's hilt as they crept down the narrow forest path.

They hadn't gone ten metres when the forest grew deathly silent and Bandy stopped, pricked his ears, and looked again to the left. He growled low and raised his hackles. Alice gripped her dagger and pressed against him. From under his jaw, she saw nothing but dim, empty wilderness. She waited anxiously, body tensed for several moments as nothing happened. Chiding herself for getting worked up, she shook her head and forced her muscles to relax.

"Come on," she said quietly, then froze when something stirred in the dark where Bandy was looking. The sound of footsteps running through dry brush broke through the oppressive silence, thoroughly startling her.

A murder of crows burst out from the forest, squawking indignantly, and Alice jumped. Bandy jerked his head to the right, ahead, and growled even louder. He made to run, but Alice held firm. "No," she hissed quietly. He ducked his head and snapped his jaws in the new direction and then back at the other.

Alice's heart began beating rapidly, and then the sounds of men shouting in the distance confirmed her suspicions. Bandy pulled free of Alice's grip and tore off down the path.

"No!" she shouted, running after him. If the bandersnatch left her alone, she was essentially defenceless. One little dagger would be nothing against several of Stayne's men, if that were indeed who the voices belonged to.

The bandersnatch was nearly engulfed in darkness as the sun sank lower in the sky, and Alice gulped for air as she rounded a dirt corner edging a precarious looking drop off to the right. She slipped on stones and cursed the beast's quickly shifting attention span.

The running footsteps at her left again caught her attention, and she raised her dagger, ready to strike, when something solid rammed into her side. She tumbled over the edge of the drop-off and clambered for anything to stop her sliding.

An old tree's gnarled roots jutted out, scraping her side, and she managed to grab a solid knob. Her dagger was glinting a few feet up the incline, but she paused to get her breath and listen to hear where her assailant had gotten to.

A boy's voice sounded from above, along with the voices of two, maybe three, men.

"Please!" the boy cried, standing back up. He must not have seen her when he darted out of the woods and couldn't have been more than eight or so years. Alice blanched. Why were they chasing a boy through the forest?

"Please," he cried again. Alice heard a smack, and the boy cried harder. They were hurting him.

She chanced leaving her hiding spot and carefully crept up the steep incline, grabbing the fallen dagger. As she moved, she felt the strangest prickling sensation on the back of her neck as she positioned herself carefully behind a large, fallen trunk.

She got high enough up that she could see over the lip of the drop-off, and she carefully surveyed the situation. There were two men, and one of them was holding an incredibly frightened little boy, while the other was interrogating him. It was the oddest thing she could imagine. What could a little boy possibly have done to warrant such actions?

"Where is he?" the tallest man asked, shaking the boy by the shoulders.

"Yeh killed my fa'!" he cried, sobs wracking his battered little body. Alice swallowed a gasp. They were monsters.

"Yes, and your mother and sister—"

"Nae!" he screamed, falling to his knees.

Tears stung Alice's eyes, and she grit her teeth.

" —and I'll kill you too, if you don't answer us. Where is the Hatter?" The other man holding the boy chuckled.

"_Mam!_" he moaned, weakly trying to pull out of his captor's grip.

Anger boiled Alice's blood, and she flipped the dagger so that the tip of the blade was between her fingertips. If she could throw it at one of them, perhaps she stood a chance of fighting the other if the boy helped…

"You have two seconds," the tall man said, putting his boot under the chin of the hysterical child.

"Please," he whimpered again, calling for his mother.

Alice raised her arm, ready to throw.

"Very well," the man said, drawing his sword. He jabbed it downwards through the boy's back and kicked him aside. He cried out and rolled over and was still.

Alice's jaw dropped and her heart plummeted. He…they had…just a boy… Something snapped deep within her and she raised herself from behind the stump. She stepped on a dead branch, accidentally snapping it in the process, and found she no longer cared if she'd lost the element of surprise, when for the second time that night, something hard slammed into her from behind. Only this time a hand closed down over her mouth.

The men heard the branch, and both turned to look in its direction. One loosed a small axe from his belt.

Alice struggled silently against the person on top of her. A man had tackled her and was now laying his full weight on her, desperately trying to still her movements. "Shh!" he hissed, and then, quick as lightening, rolled them aside as the axe came sailing neatly into the stump they'd just been behind, shattering it.

They both froze, neither making a noise save for the sound of their panting, and with a thrill of shock, Alice glimpsed a flash of orange-ish, red hair. It was the Hatter! His eyes, barely discernible in the gathering darkness, were round with madness. Frightening, wild madness. His skin was smudged with dirt, and the bright hair around his face stuck to his forehead with perspiration. He was staring ahead at the men who were only half-heartedly looking out at the darkness.

Alice was very aware of him sprawling across her, and her horror at what she'd just witnessed, clashed with the joy of finding him; no matter how worrisome he currently appeared.

He slowly raised a pale finger to his lips and quietly rolled off of her. She nodded and didn't move as he crouched through the leaves, and tangled branches, and reached for the axe buried in the ruined stump. He didn't blink once, and Alice was alarmed at the murderous grimace now twisting his lips.

The man who'd thrown the axe had apparently decided there was no threat and was stomping through the brush to retrieve his weapon. The Hatter crouched low, axe in hand, and waited like an animal hunting prey.

Alice held her breath. Now that sanity had returned to her, she realized she had been close to murdering either, or both of those men, and she regretted the feeling. It now appeared, however, that the Hatter had no other intention.

The man bent over, feeling in the dark for the object he'd hit, and the Hatter struck. He leapt for the man, covered his mouth to hide the scream, and slashed his throat with the axe blade. The man jerked in the Hatter's arms and then fell gracelessly to the forest floor. Alice flinched and scrambled to her knees.

The Hatter didn't wait. He raced off into the darkness, and Alice watched in horror as he chased after the tall man who had carelessly stabbed the boy. The Hatter threw the axe at his retreating back, and all Alice heard was the sound of the weapon striking flesh not once, but thrice. She closed her eyes and tried to swallow the bile that had flared up her throat. The forest was silent again, but for the Hatter's heavy breathing as he rustled through dead leaves.

Weakly, Alice turned away from the man whose blank stare taunted her in the shadows, and she summoned enough strength to gaze again on the Hatter, who looked nothing like the friend she once remembered. Ahead, she dimly heard the soft thudding of giant paws and vaguely registered that the bandersnatch had returned; but it wasn't him she was focused on.

Hatter was bent over, frantically searching the ground, and at last he stopped and dropped to his knees with a soft cry.

The boy.

Alice watched silently. The child's family had been killed because of him. Her heart hitched, not only for the boy and his family, but for her friend.

The crazed man whispered something indistinguishable, and Alice took a step towards him, uncertain what to do, but wanting in some way to help.

"Alice!" he cried. "Come!"

Alarmed, she did as was told and ran towards him. The boy was cradled in his lap, bleeding profusely, and her friend was leaning over him, listening for a heartbeat. "He's alive," he said, astonished, and with a look of pure agony looked up to her. "Help me!"

Alice gaped at him in shock. The boy had survived?

"Help me, Alice!" he screamed and lifted the boy in his arms.

She patted the satchel at her hip and plunged her hands inside for a healing potion Mirana had given her. "Bandy!" she cried and then stood by the Hatter. "Lift him up," she said.

He did so, exposing the wound at his back, and Alice gently applied several drops against his torn flesh.

He watched her work silently and when she'd finished, strode towards the bandersnatch.  
"Tha village," he said in his Outlandish brogue.

With Alice's help, they managed to get themselves all up onto the beast's back, and immediately tore off into the night.

As they rode, the Hatter held onto the boy, and Alice held onto him. Nothing was said as they plunged ahead, and Alice tried to focus on only the present, and on the feel of her friend beneath her hands and at her chest.

At last she was with her friend; but it had been a much pleasanter reunion in her dreams.

Eventually, dotted lights appeared through the trees ahead, and Alice breathed a sigh of relief. The rough journey had felt like an eternity filled with worried silence.

The Hatter directed the bandersnatch past several small houses, unsurprisingly to Lilas' home. Alice found this as both reassuring as she did bothersome.

He slid down before they'd come to a full stop and Alice made to follow before he stopped her.

"Nae. T'will be faster if ya stay here." He turned with the boy for the house and opened the door without waiting to be let in.

Alice remained on Bandy and stared ahead, her mind still reeling from from the horrors she'd witnessed earlier; from this absolute change in her friend's demeanour.

Across the lane, a woman looked out her window in surprise at Alice and the giant beast standing outside, and then hastily closed the curtains. The village was surprisingly quiet considering how loud it had seemed earlier that day. Regardless, Alice much preferred the silence to the hostility she'd encountered previously.

She anxiously waited for him, hoping that the men from earlier lived nowhere nearby. Her wait wasn't long though, as moments later, the healer's door creaked open and the wild Hatter emerged from the house, bounding straight up onto Bandy. Without even so much as a glace at her, they took off for the forest.

As before, there were no words. Alice held onto him, desperately wanting to speak. But what could she possibly say? What could either of them say? He had killed.

They took an unfamiliar path this time, and Alice gradually relaxed against him as the weight of the day's ride and the evening's exhausting events pressed down on her. Soon, the rhythmic galloping motion tempted her eyes to close, and she put up very little resistance.

An indeterminable amount of time later, Alice's eyes flew open with a jolt at the sudden realization that they had stopped. She had been lying against the Hatter, and quickly sat up, embarrassed. He was sitting motionless in front of her staring ahead at nothing.

Alice glanced at him and looked around at their stopping place. It looked wholly unremarkable, save for a stream and tall rock face nearby, and she wondered if they had simply paused for rest and water. She was about to voice this question, when he swung a leg over and slid off.

His eyes didn't meet hers, but he held a scratched hand out to help her down. She toyed with the idea of taking it, but decided to slide down on her own. His left eye twitched in response, and she thought he almost grinned. He pivoted on the spot and stalked off several yards away. Alice stared in confusion.

He paced one direction, then turned and paced the other. At his side, his fists balled and unballed, and it seemed as if he were arguing with someone. Quite possibly with himself. Eventually he stopped, turning his back to her and looked up into the pitch black canopy above. He stood that way for several long moments.

The moon was glinting off the surface of the water, brightening the space directly near Alice, and she looked to the bandersnatch who also appeared perplexed. She wasn't quite sure what to do, and when he hadn't moved in five minutes, and she had resolved to check on him, he abruptly spun around and made his way directly towards her. As he neared, she could make out the shifting expressions on his face and her heart lifted. This was something familiar.

At first, he was grinning ear to ear, and his eyes seemed to soften as he looked upon her. Then about four giant paces later, he seemed to get nervous. His expression darkened, and his eyes reverted back to the wild look they'd held earlier.

She waited.

He took another step towards her, and the closeness appeared as if it physically pained him. A hand reached out to her; she noted that it trembled. Lightly, his fingertips brushed her cheek, and then with both hands he stroked the curls falling around her face. His lips opened and it seemed as if he would finally speak, but then he broke off, snapped his jaws shut and turned around once more.

Frustrated, Alice stepped towards him, only to back up once he whirled around to face her and leaned down to look into her eyes.

"Ya should'_nae_ be here," he said gruffly in a voice she hadn't expected. "It's no' safe."

Alice inhaled, taken aback. "I've been sent by the White Queen."

The Hatter gaped at her, and then glared in anger. "Why would she do a thin' like tha'? Send her only Champion ou' an' risk her death? Has _she_ gone mad nauw?"

Alice bristled in defence. Three years and the most terrible thing that could happen at their first meeting, and this was how he reacted to her being there?

"There weren't many other options, and I wouldn't take no for an answer." She added, "It's nice to see you too."

He stared down at her with an array of shifting expressions: anger, joy, confusion, astonishment...

"Everyone says hello," she said quickly. "Thackery and Mallymkun." She couldn't be sure, but it appeared as if he grinned. Or it could have been the shadows. "They miss you," she went on and swallowed. "I missed you."

At his sides, his fists balled up, and for a moment she thought he might bolt, but he surprised her and stayed.

Alice relaxed and took the time to properly look at him. Vocal pattern aside, he'd changed in three years. The magenta that had once ringed his eyes was now a dark, bruisey purple. His hair had grown longer and was matted in places. His skin, still appeared pale in the moonlight, but there was something different despite it being smudged and grimy. His clothes, while before had been gently tattered, were now torn to shreds, with hastily sewn patches that were clearly the only thing keeping them together. The velvet jacket was missing, as well as his cravat, and also…

"Where's your hat?" she asked softly.

His eyes never left hers as she'd surveyed his person, and Alice was struck by the intensity with which he paid her attention. "Tha wild is no place for a hat."

The moment was filled with a tense awkwardness that felt very foreign to her. But at least he was talking.

"What about for a hatter?"

He smirked down at her, then turned and walked towards the rock wall. Alice remembered to breathe again, and she followed.

Ahead, he pushed aside a tangle of vines, exposing a dark hole in the face. A cave. "We'll be sleepin' in here t'nigh'." Her friend ducked inside and Alice looked back to the bandersnatch. From inside she heard, "He'll be fine."

Bandy snorted, and pawed at the ground as if to agree, and Alice ducked behind the vines. It was deceptively close-quartered. There was only just room for the pair of them without touching, and Alice was immensely grateful not to be claustrophobic. "You don't happen to have any pishalver do you?" She grinned when she heard him snort.

He apologized for their cramped accommodations and spread out a wool blanket on the hard ground for her to lay upon. "I don' have much, bu' if yer hungry-"

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "Someone in the village was kind enough to share their supper with me. The same woman you went to earlier, in fact. Lilas Thistle."

She couldn't see his face in the darkness, but she heard a gentle rustle of fabric, and longed to speak with him about what happened. "Hatter," she began. "That boy."

In the darkness, she heard him fidget on the ground. "My fault," he whispered.

She was quiet for a moment.

"How is it your fault? You saved him."

"I shoul'nae 'ave left." He shifted again and went on. "They were hidin' me o'ernight. By tha time we heard 'em, they were already upon us."

She heard him sigh across from her, and Alice ached for him.

"They did'nae deserve… "

"I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat and changed topic. "How did yeh fin' me?"

"It wasn't easy. People here seem protective of you." He snorted derisively, but she went on. "I was told to look for you in the forest, but I didn't know exactly where." She winced at the memory of their first explosive encounter. "I'd say you found me, really."

He was silent for so long that Alice thought he might have fallen asleep. When he spoke she had to strain her ears.

"I couldn't believe it was you." he softly lisped.

When it became apparent that she was going to have to coax any further information out of him she mentally sighed.

"Hatter, is that, is it always like this? Here? Those men, there was no hesitation…"

"No hesitation, no hesitation," he repeated in a strange voice. He then made a sound low in his throat. "Nae. Tha's a recent developmen'. Stayne an' his men had no' been so brash 'til la'ely. Somethin's happened. Th' balance'as changed."

"Mirana received your letter just as I arrived. She's sending help. She's worried."

He said nothing.

"Everyone is. That's why I'm here— "

She heard a sudden movement in the dark, and the tone of his voice unexpectedly chilled her.

"Oh, is tha' why yeh've come then?"

"I…" she trailed off. The question surprised her.

"Did she sen' for yeh?"

She flinched against the venom in his tone. "No. I came on my own accord."

He sniffed in disbelief and Alice bristled.

"I had been planning a return for awhile now. I had no idea things had gotten this way. How could I?"

"P'raps a visit nauw an'again migh've been in order?"

"Likewise," she returned coldly.

"Likewise?"

"Is McTwisp the only Underlandian creature that can go between worlds?"

At first he was silent. "Yeh need permission ta do tha'."

Alice looked away even though she knew he couldn't see her. Quietly she said, "You could have asked."

They each sat in stillness, and she belatedly realized that their small cave had warmed considerably. Sadly, that seemed to be the only comfort she could find, and with a pang she wondered how they could be quarrelling. She had missed him so terribly and had hoped he had missed her. It seemed as if her presence was more bothersome than anything else, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. This wasn't the man she'd left behind.

"Yeh should try an' ge'some rest. We leave early in th'mornin'." He added in a quiet lisp, "It's best not to stay in one place for too long."

Again his tone had softened, and Alice thought she'd heard a tinge of regret. Perhaps she wasn't giving enough allowance for his situation.

"Hatter."

"Not nauw," he interrupted softly. "La'er. Nauw we rest."

In the darkness, she heard him settle onto the cave floor, and she felt guilty for robbing him of his blanket. She lay down on her thin, makeshift bed and winced a little at the scrapes along her side.

"Are you al'righ'?"

"I'll be fine."

Fatigue washed over her, and she listened to his steady breathing. He couldn't be more than two feet away. As she drifted off, she'd changed her mind; his presence was incredibly comforting.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Her eyes slipped closed, and exhaustion won quickly. With half of her tasks completed and her friend nearby, Alice was lulled back to the land of dreams.

In the dark, Tarrant listened to her calm, even breathing. He did not sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of heavy paws scratching the ground greeted Alice as she awoke from under a tattered coat. Realizing he'd covered her at some point, she smiled fondly. Faint beams of light trickled in through the vine covered opening of the cave, and she sat up, blinking away the last vestiges of an uneasy sleep.

One look told her that her friend had already left, and she reached out and felt the floor where he'd lain. It was cold. Her neck popped unpleasantly, and she gingerly rubbed at the stiffness a night of sleeping on a cave floor brought about.

Outside, the morning light was desperately trying to stream in through the dense canopy, and Bandy was still pawing anxiously at the ground. She walked over to him, stroking his coarse fur and scanned the thick overgrowth of trees for any signs of orange.

"Has he been gone long?" she asked, slipping her arms through the too-big sleeves of the coat.

He butted against her hand and ruffled his shoulders. Again, the forest seemed abnormally quiet. Shouldn't forests be buzzing with numerous forms of life?

In the distance a tree limb snapped. They both turned in its direction, listening. She strained her ears and by the by the hurried sound of something crashing through the underbrush grew louder.  
Alice sincerely hoped it was the Hatter, as she'd inconveniently left her dagger behind in the cave.

When his auburny-orange head popped up from behind a low hill, she relaxed momentarily. Until she realized he was actually running from something.

"Quickly, Alice, we must be off!" His lisp had returned, and she sprang into action.

He ducked into the cave and emerged seconds later with their minimal supplies jumbled in his arms. He tossed the blanket and her things to her and then turned back to scan the forest while she packed his items into a canvas bag.

"All ready good let's go," he said in one breath and rushed passed her. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he jumped onto the bandersnatch and reached down for Alice, impatient to get moving. She'd finished cinching the belt and dagger around her waist and reached for him.

Up and over she went, and she'd no sooner placed her hands at his waist when the Hatter kicked Bandy in the sides and leapt ahead at full speed.

"Why are we running?" she gasped as they sailed over a fallen, mossy tree and splashed over the stream.

He mumbled something she couldn't hear and tossed a glance behind her for good measure.  
They kept up the fast pace for several minutes before the Hatter allowed their steed to slow.

"Shh," he called over his shoulder to her and leant forward.

Intrigued, Alice mimicked his action and leaned forward on his back. She bit back a grin as she imagined he thought this might somehow help to disguise the fact that they were currently riding on a gigantic, fearsome beast galumphing through a forest.

Minutes later they appeared to arrive at their destination. "Easy nauw," he murmured, and Bandy slowed to a stop. "Yeh'll have ta wait here." He eased down and just stopped himself from offering Alice assistance.

She slid off and followed as he deftly tiptoed through the forest, darting behind trees and boulders, all the while keeping a finger to his lips.

She came up to his side behind a pair of trees he was peeking out from and she glanced up at him and understood why he had looked different. He almost had colour to his skin and she wondered exactly how long he had been out in these woods.

"Slowly," he breathed. "Look."

Alice tilted her head from behind the tree and inhaled. In the clearing ahead was a camp of men.

"Loyalists. They'll be joined by some very angry comrades soon," he lisped with delight. "No dou' they'll be missin' their arms."

Alice turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Weapons?"

That intriguing smirk he'd flashed at her the night before returned and he nodded. "Aye."

"Is that why we left so quickly?"

His lips twitched in response.

"And where are these arms?"

He shrugged. "Threw 'em ou' as I ran." His back pressed against the trees and he turned to look at her. "This is but a small group. There are dozens more." He looked up at the trees and surrounding features and pulled out a worn scrap of parchment that looked like a map. He bent forward and ran a finger through the soil, then used it to make a mark on the map of their location. He showed her the map he'd kept of each of their locations. There were several smudges dotted throughout and Alice was vaguely surprised the number. In the center was a cirlcled dot labelled "Stayne."

"You've found his location?"

He nodded, folding the parchment and putting it away.

"Let's go," he whispered and led them back the way they'd come. Alice marvelled at how he slipped in and out of his two different vocal patterns. It was as if he'd flip-flopped.

When they reached Bandy she looked behind her. "What about those men? Are we just—"

"Gon' ta leave them, aye. We're only two. They're more." He jumped back onto the bandersnatch and rearranged his canvas bag across his chest. "They won't be leavin' this camp soon. Don' worry."

Alice looked up to him and the dark expression on his face. "Hatter, we need to discuss the queen's plan."

"Aye. La'er. At the momen', I've somewhere ta be." He looked down at her expectantly, and she shook her head with a sigh. He reached down for her, helping her up, and they took off once more.

They'd set out in a different direction to another part of the forest Alice hadn't yet seen. The trees thinned out here, and in places there were even patches of grass large enough for a few animals to graze on.

"This area is beautiful," Alice casually remarked.

He turned to look at her with approval. "My family home is near here." Quietly he added, "P'raps one day I'll show it to yeh."

They continued on, and at one point leapt over a small stream when something clinked in Alice's satchel. "Oh!" she said, remembering the phials the Healer had asked her to deliver. "I nearly forgot. I was asked to give these to you."

The Hatter twisted around, curious, to see what she had and his eyes widened in surprise. "Lilas gave these ta yeh?"

She pursed her lips at the sound of her name and nodded. "She said you would know what they were."

He took them from her and stowed them away in a pocket on his morning coat, and said nothing further on the subject.

As they travelled, he told her about Stayne and what he had been up to in her absence. About how after his banishment, the disgraced knave had quickly fallen in with less than reputable characters in the Outlands. As a man who understood manipulation and had plenty of intimidation given his imposing stature, he'd secured a moderate amount of power amongst the thieves and lowlifes that roamed the outskirts of civilisation.

"But how did this escape Mirana's notice?"

The hatter fidgeted in front of her. "It wasn' easily apparen' a'first."

He explained how reports of seemingly unconnected incidents of violence or unrest had reached Marmoreal. Each event had seemed arbitrary and their threat level had stayed just under that of concern. They hadn't reason for suspicion.

"Acciden's. One after another. One family here, another lan'owner there. A robbery or two a week la'er. Eventually, i'stopped bein' random, an' by then Stayne had established himself."

Alice was confused. "But, where was the guard? Isn't there a militia? Surely Mirana has some kind of constabulary in place here."

She felt his quick sarcastic exhalation under her hands.

"No' here. Run off."

"Run off?"

He turned his head and nodded. "Outlanders don' take kindly ta those they consider ta be trespassers on their land."

Alice snorted sarcastically, recalling each confrontation with a frown. "They don't seem to be very hospitable in general."

Before her, he shook his head. "People are afraid. They're simply worried about the ones they love. Lately the only thing Change has brought here is death. Or worse."

Alice considered this. "But why won't they accept help? Isn't this a part of the queen's realm?"

He chuckled. "Tha' kin' of talk round here will ge' yeh in loads o'trouble, lass."

The bandersnatch sniffed the air and shivered lightly. Hatta looked around and went stiff beneath her hands in alarm, when a blue-grey swirl of smoke suddenly materialised before them and turned into a floating Cat.

"Chess!" Alice called happily, smiling. Tarrant nodded in greeting.

"Finally," he sighed dramatically. "I've been looking for the pair of you for hours." His whiskers twitched in agitation. "For a man typically surrounded by vivid colours you're disturbingly hard to find in a forest."

The Hatter smirked. "What news do yeh have?"

"No further pleasantries? Very well then. The queen's army left Marmoreal yesterday and are en route as we speak."

The Outlander nodded and told him of a place she should direct her envoy to at the edge of the forest, not far from Farowen. Currently, there were no Loyalist outposts nearby.

"Anything else?" the prickly feline asked.

"Say hello to Mallymkun." Alice said.

The Cat's grin spread to his ears as he floated upside down above her. "Wonderful. Her incessant nattering has already reached a peak level I can hardly tolerate as it is." He began to fade and with a wave of his paw he called, "Fairfarren." and disappeared.

Eventually, they came to a stop outside a small farm. The Hatter jumped down, and Alice watched with interest as he imitated some sort of bird's call. He waited for a moment, listening, until a similar call was echoed from further off.

Turning towards Alice he opened his mouth to speak but froze. She peered down at him curiously and when his eyes travelled, slowly, from her ankle to her thighs and up, and a low hum sounded deep in his throat, she felt her cheeks heat from the unexpected attention and was momentarily struck speechless.

As soon as his eyes re-focused he briefly looked towards the cottage through the trees, and then nervously glanced back at her.

"On secon' though', p'raps yeh bes' stay here." He paused for a moment to consider his own counsel, and then nodded. "Aye. Stay here. I won' be long."

He adjusted the satchel around his chest and headed for the cottage, leaving Alice utterly bewildered and annoyed.

"What was that all about?" she huffed to her silent companion. "I'm getting a little tired of being ordered around like an errant child." Where had her polite Hatter gone?

She jumped off of Bandy and paced, occasionally glancing in the direction that completely baffling, mad hatter had disappeared and kicked over a stone. Bandy sniffed a patch of mushrooms.

Thirty minutes on, he still hadn't arrived, and she cursed his definition of time. What if someone had been lurking out there while he'd been gone and she were ambushed?

The bandersnatch chose that moment to knock over a small tree in order to get at the roots he'd been trying to eat for several minutes.

'_Alright, so I'm not completely alone,'_ she thought wryly.

Regardless, she felt useless just sitting there, and with a sigh she stared out at the surrounding flora, trying to decide whether or not to ignore the ever-present and irksome feeling of being watched. She swore the trees in this forest had eyes. She also wondered who her friend had gone to visit, and why she hadn't been allowed to follow. And why he had looked at her like that.

Alice brought her attention back to the cottage. It was a simple wooden structure that looked like many of the houses she'd passed in Witzend. There were chickens roaming on the sparse front lawn, and animal pens adjacent to the rear of the house. There didn't seem to be anyone outside, and every now and then she caught a glimpse of a figure or two passing by a dim window within.

The bandersnatch stopped rooting in the ground and raised his great head to sniff the air, causing Alice to shift her attention from the cottage and her reverie.

"An' who migh' you beh?" asked a tiny voice to her left.

Alice was alarmed to find herself at the end of a very sharp looking arrow that was strung in a fine bow, which was furthermore attached to a precocious looking little girl.

"Be'er talk fas' or I'll have ta shoot. Strangers aren' welcome." The hardness of her tone was a strange contrast in the voice of a child so young.

The banderstatch watched the girl carefully, but apparently found no real threat as he wasn't reacting to the fact that Marmoreal's Champion was being held at arrow point.

"Hello," Alice said, raising her hands, "my name is Alice."

"Wha's tha'?" the girl asked immediately afterwards, looking towards the spotted beast with concern.

"That's my friend."

"Doesn' look frien'ly."

"Looks can be deceiving sometimes."

The little girl kept her gaze on Bandy, but the arrow fixed on her.

"And who might you be?" Alice echoed carefully.

"I live here. Wha' are you doin' out here with tha'?" she jabbed the arrow in the bandersnatch's direction.

"I'm waiting for my friend."

"Wha' frien'? Another one of those?" she asked fearfully looking again at Bandy.

Alice pointed towards the cottage and smiled gently. "My friend is inside. He asked me to wait."

The girl lowered the arrow. "Tarrant?"

Alice blinked. "Yes," she answered. "Do you know him?"

The girl smiled at first, then reaffixed the sharp glare she'd directed at the trespasser. "Aye. Bu' how do I know you aren' lyin'?"

Alice experienced a severe feeling of déjà vu. However, she considered the question and supposed it might look like a stretch given that she was on the girl's family's land with a frumious looking monster; no offense to Bandy of course. She went with the answer she'd given the last person who asked her the same question.

"I suppose you'll just have to trust me."

"An' why should anyone do a thin' like tha'?" answered a third, unfamiliar voice from the trees.

Alice stepped back and quickly adjusted her attention to the newcomer. Bandy growled quietly behind her.

The Hatter, who had been trailing after, noticed the girl with the arrow and ran to the child. "Nauw, nauw, lower it, lass," he crooned, stepping in front of the arrow, lest it find its unintended mark.

The girl looked put out and glared once more at Alice. "You know her?"

"Aye, she's with us," he said quietly before turning back to the man he'd come with.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief and looked curiously at the woodsman whose face was hidden behind the hood of the cloak he wore.

The man appeared to glance between Alice and the Hatter, and then held an arm out to the girl. "Come, Bryn. Inside."

The girl lowered the bow fully and scampered over to the man who was turning to walk back to the cottage.

"I found her, 'Lan; was I good?"

"Aye, lass, bu' don' be goin' after people alone." His words trailed off as they got further away, and Alice glanced curiously at her friend.

"Who are they?"

The Hatter twitched a grin, and fluttered his fingers. "No one, everyone, secrets." He laughed to himself then goggled at her. "Champion. You were bested by a little girl!" he lisped, making his way back to the bandersnatch.

Alice smiled and followed. "No, I wasn't."

"Tha' wee li'tle gel had yeh a' her mercy." He climbed up onto Bandy, his loony smile fading to a frown.

She quirked her head at his change of mood. "Hatter?"

Resolute, he gazed down at her.

"We need ta work on your trainin'."

She vaguely wondered if she should be offended. "And how do you propose we do that?"

He looked at her curiously. "Practise o'cors'."

Once again, they set off. Alice's curiosity wouldn't remain silent and she asked again after the man and child.

"Do Outlandish children always go around carrying weapons?"

The Hatter chuckled. "Family trade. Tha' gel can use a bow better than mos' hunters in Witzend."

Alice smiled. "So, are these people part of your circle, then?"

He turned his head to glance at her and thought for a moment. "Aye."

"We need to discuss Mirana's plan. How many here are willing to help her put all this madness to an end?"

He wiggled before her, muttering something like gibberish. Then, "Many want him gone, bu' no' many will help."

"How many will so far?"

He considered this and shrugged. "I'll have a better idea tomorrow perhaps."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is when we shall rally the troops."

"Good."

They turned up a steep incline, and Alice grabbed him round the waist in surprise. He stared ahead with a sly grin upon his lips.

She cleared her throat and released him. "Well, a few are at least better than none, I suppose."

"We'll b'meetin' them tanigh' a'tha inn. Til then it migh' be best to no' discuss it…" he waved his arms about them to finish the sentence. "Everythin' has eyes."

Alice nodded and looked out at the sea of forest before them. "What are we doing in the mean time?"

He tossed a rakish glance at her from over his shoulder and she blushed. That hadn't exactly been what she meant.

He lowered his voice. "Practise."


	4. Chapter 4

An hour and half a dozen backtracks later, they settled in a smallish clearing in the midst of a densely forested patch of woodland. It was a good location. Nearby the babbling of a stream could be heard, and the clearing needed only a few fallen branches drug away to make a proper training pitch.

"We'll stay here 'til dark," he'd said. "Then we'll make for Farowen."

They slid off of Bandy, (the Hatter went out of his way to lean far back as Alice slipped down), and their mount scampered off into the nearby darkness. The Outlander then set about making a fire so they could see what they were doing later that evening, and once that had been accomplished, he set to clearing the area. As he worked, Alice rummaged through their supplies, taking note of what they would need to stock up on while in town. At the bottom of his leather bag her hands brushed over something smooth and cold. Her eyes lit up.

Eagerly, she pulled out what she had suspected were a pair of throwing blades; and she had been right. She grinned at the small, glinting blades, and tested their sharpness with her fingertips; perfect. A quick glance showed the Hatter dragging a large limb off to the side of the pitch, and an idea struck her. Perhaps now she could show him that she wasn't as ill-experienced as he had supposed. She was a little more seasoned than all that.

Living on a ship with hard-edged sailors for two years did strange things to a person.

Blades in hand, she wandered off to the opposite edge of the clearing. Finding the appropriate object, she then took ten paces back and focused. The blade between her fingers was much more suitable for throwing than the dagger she'd lately sported, and memories of salted sea air and the laughter of drunken crewmates floated through her senses. A sharp flick of the wrist sent it sailing.

Behind her, Alice's movement had caught the Hatter's eye, and he looked up from his appraisal of the ready-made pitch. A corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

She fixed her attention on her mark once more and threw the second blade. It struck just to the left of centre with a satisfying thud.

The Hatter flashed a wide, toothy grin, and ambled over as she bent down to pull the knives from the decaying wood.

"An' where di'a nice gel like you learn ta throw blades?"

Alice peered over her shoulder and tossed him a cheeky grin.

"A terribly inappropriate skill picked up aboard the trade ships, I'm afraid."

The Hatter beamed at her, and Alice saw his former, daft self rise to the surface. "Alice," he lisped, "you became a pirate!" He giggled in spite of himself, and she laughed.

Swinging her hips, she sashayed over to him. "Maybe just a bit," she winked. "There are a lot of things I learned from the sailors." She turned back to face the tree trunk and focused on her target. "Learning something new helps pass the time when you're on a ship with nothing but miles of open ocean around you. It helps keep you sane."

She flung the small, steel blade again and smirked as it hit exactly where she aimed.

The Hatter peered over her shoulder, half-mad grin still in place. "Well, you would know about madness, I suspect."

She turned her head and blinked at his sudden closeness. Her throat went dry and she swallowed. "I haven't practiced in awhile, so I'm not as good as I once was."

He met her eyes and regarded her cautiously. She was vaguely saddened to see him retreat back into the depths. "Still," he said, "it's a good thin' t'know 'bout, yeh."

He straightened and looked around him suddenly as if startled. "This is an excellen' time ta work on a few basics." He kicked away a few stray stones, and gestured to the small pitch.

Alice laid the knives down and awaited instruction.

He approached her, eyes a cautious yellow, and stopped a few feet away. "No' tha' I would ever wan' ta discredit our noble Champion, but I thin' tha' mehbe some trainin' migh' be in order. Throwin' aside."

Alice grinned apologetically. "I suppose I was pretty lucky with the jabberwocky."

He immediately closed the gap between them, and Alice barely had time to gasp; the flame in his eyes was almost frightening.

"Nae," he said seriously, voice hard and guttural. "Yeh were mean' ta do tha'. Luck had nothin' ta do wi' it. Ya did wha' you were mean' ta do then, jus' as yeh will this time."

He stepped back a few paces and nodded to her.

"Nauw," he said, widening his stance, calm restored, "do as I do. Watch yer feet. Always keep them movin' if yeh can."

Alice mimicked his stance and nodded. He began to circle, and she followed suit.

"I'm gon' ta come at you slowly at firs' an' show yeh how ta deflec' a charge. Ready?"

For what felt like hours, he worked with Alice on basic fighting moves, and as their lesson progressed, he grew more and more desperate and concerned.

"No! No' like tha'! We worked on this ehrlier," he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, and looked at her anxiously.

"I know, I'm just a bit tired is all," she justified.

The Hatter nodded and relaxed. "Yer righ'. We'll break nauw. Yeh've done well," he said, and she got the distinct impression he didn't entirely believe that.

They rested and finished off the last of the food supplies Alice had brought. Later that evening, they picked up the lesson as the last rays of sunlight filtered through the forest. He showed her how to use her elbows and the heel of her hand against various pressure points. He demonstrated how to use her relatively small stature to her advantage, and when darkness had fallen they were circling each other again with the help of light from their smallish fire.

Alice rolled away from his latest lunge. As instructed, she whipped around anticipating the follow through, and deflected the fist that went flying towards her face.

"Good," he smirked and straightened. "Again."

Alice exhaled and rolled her shoulders with a soft groan. Her body felt like how she imagined the stump target did. "We've done it at least a dozen times."

Tarrant looked at her and frowned. "An' a dozen more are needed ta ge'i' down. Muscle memory, Alice. Yeh only _thin'_' yeh know it," he stopped short and turned away, frustrated.

She yawned and dropped her hands to her knees in exhaustion. "Well," she said around another yawn, "I'm no good without rest." She straightened up and stretched her arms. "And neither are you."

He ignored this and bent down to reach for something on the ground. "An' wha' happens when yer tired at th'ba'tle? D'yeh thin' Stayne will stop ev'rythin' ta let ya get yer rest?" he sneered.

Alice fought the urge to stick her tongue out behind him.

"Vigilance!" he shouted, abruptly turning and hurled something at Alice. She instinctively curled away and ducked, narrowly missing the stone that whizzed by.

Catching her breath, she grinned triumphantly. "See? Even through fatigue I'm attuned," she joked.

The Hatter dusted off his knees and slowly approached the Champion, less enthused. "Is tha' so?"

She smirked up at him, feeling the first wave of ill-timed sleepiness wash over her body, and nodded cheekily.

"I see." Without warning he grabbed her, and pivoted behind, locking his arms around hers. He had her held completely captive.

Alice struggled against him and grunted with effort. "You cheat! You tricked me!" she bit out, bending over to try to slip her arms free.

He held on firmly and kept his hands clasped; waiting for her to remember the technique he'd taught her. "Trick? Did I trick yeh?" he mused through gritted teeth. "Or were yeh distracted? Yeh le' yer guard down."

"You weren't a threat," she groaned, still trying to wriggle free. His hold was much more secure than when they'd practiced this before. And perhaps there had been some truth to what he'd been saying…

"Wasn' I? I approached from an angle, no' dead on," he recited, his mouth near her ear. "It's easier ta attack if yeh come a'tha side."

She huffed in frustration and suppressed a shiver from the breath upon her skin. Also, she was fervently trying to ignore the feeling of his chest pressed against her back and his hands holding her so possessively…

"Yeh _need_ ta stay focussed. There are distractions ev'rywhere. Fatigue, an injured warrior, a foe in disguise…" His lips were suddenly at her neck and Alice jumped in surprise, inhaling sharply. Her body froze against him and her lips parted when he began sucking on an incredibly wonderful spot just below her ear. She tilted her head and gasped. Her treacherous mind began falling in with the surprising demands of her body and she wasn't sure whether to make him stop or beg him to keep going.

He decided for her and broke away with a sharp exhalation.

Her heart was slamming against her ribcage, and when she turned to face him he looked disappointed, despite decidedly flushed cheeks. She felt incredibly confused. And ashamed.

"Is tha' all i'will take?" he asked sadly.

Alice's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?"

He stepped directly in front of her and glared. "No' every weapon is bows an' swords."

His words stung, but she didn't look away. He had tested her and she had failed.

For a moment she saw a glimpse of the frightened, anxious Hatter she remembered in the Red Queen's workshop. "Alice," he lisped. He took her hands in his and stared down at her with desperate, almost green eyes. "This isn't like before. The Vorpal Sword knew what it had to do. You won't have that advantage this time…" he blinked, and Alice watched as Dark Hatter returned. His eyes flamed a deep orange, and his hold on her hands became nearly uncomfortable. "Yeh have ta try harder."

He turned away from her and assumed an offensive position. "Again."

Alice felt her chest tighten as she gazed at his determination. She widened her stance and began to circle him. Her left foot crossed her right, mimicking his. He crossed in front of the fire, instantly blacking out his features against the flickering flames. He lunged at her, and Alice spun away, ready to deflect his arm, only this time his leg swept out, knocking her off her feet.

"Ge' up!" he yelled, coming at her without pause.

She scrambled to her feet, and ducked at the swing he threw at her jaw.

He changed direction and came at her again, and she spun out of the way of the hand reaching for her arm. Instead, she grabbed his and twisted it up behind his back. He was quick though, and with his free one he grabbed her round the waist and slung her aside.

"Harder!" he cried. "_Attack_ me!"

Alice gasped for breath and waited again for his next assault. As she focused, she could feel his desperation, and suddenly everything around them seemed to disappear. No forest, no fire, no lingering threat. It was just the two of them.

He came at her again, and Alice growled. She would go on the offensive. Her body slammed into his side, and a foot kicked out, sweeping him off balance. He grabbed at her arm, and she spun around to get loose, elbowing him in the ribs. The hit didn't seem to faze him, and he redoubled his efforts to take Alice down.

From the ground he tossed leaves at her face, and Alice was temporarily blinded. She heard him behind her.

"Dodge, swing!" he yelled.

Blindly, she pivoted and struck out, connecting the palm of her hand to his jaw. He staggered back, momentarily caught unawares, and in the flickering firelight, Alice saw her opportunity. Again, she swept her right leg out against his ankles. He stumbled and, as Alice had anticipated, reached for her with his left arm. He wasn't quick enough and down he went.

Alice was at him a heartbeat later. She dove at his prostrate form, secured his limbs, and jammed her forearm against his throat.

She'd won.

Their breaths came quickly, and every muscle in Alice's body stayed tense while she savoured her victory. He swallowed against her arm at his trachea, and she quickly gave him slack, but did not remove herself. Their faces were inches apart. Unbidden, he stretched his neck forward and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, grinning.

Alice didn't move. "Was that supposed to be another trick?"

He smirked devilishly. "Nae. Tha' was a reward."

Alice blinked at the unexpected remark and her eyebrows arched to her hairline. The Hatter smirked and in one fluid movement, bucked his hips, instantly throwing her onto her back before she knew what had even happened.

He leaned over her now, pinning _her_ to the ground, the damned smirk still in place. "_Tha'_ was a trick."

His weight pressed down on her; hips against hers, legs laced over her thighs. Weight issue aside, Alice still would have found it very difficult to breathe. The memory of the feeling of his lips on her neck floated to the top of her mind and lodged itself firmly at the forefront.

"How did I do?" she asked nervously.

The Hatter peered down the length of her and then shrugged. "No' bad. Ask my jaw in tha mornin'."

She blanched. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"Don' be" he interrupted, still not moving off of her. "Yeh did wha' yeh should 'ave. Next time—"

"Hit harder?" she offered.

He chuckled and nodded. "Aye." The rapid movement against her brought a blush to her cheeks; which he appeared to enjoy.

Silence stretched between them, and Alice's breath came quicker. She gazed up at him and watched the shadows play across his face from the dying fire, and a thought occurred to her.

He was beautiful.

His eyes softened as he studying her face and locks of hair fanning out against the ground. All tension had melted away as if he had even forgotten their current position. Or, she thought, perhaps he knew exactly what he was doing. Alice's stomach promptly dipped, and her head swam with possibilities. The latter issue, however, was really unsurprising to find it swimming off somewhere. She'd never really considered hers to be firmly attached anyway.

He released a wrist and gently brought a hand up to brush a stray curl from her eyes. "Alice," he said to himself and closed his eyes.

She stared up at his lips and found she sincerely hoped he would reward her again with another kiss.

His hand lingered at her temple, and with a softness that surprised her, his fingers whispered down her cheek, coming to rest on her throat. She watched as he carefully examined his hand against her pale skin with intense fascination.

Really, something very interesting was going on inside Alice's belly now. Every movement from him seemed intensified. With some embarrassment, she realised she wanted more. Longed for it even. The feel of him above her was delicious and thrilling, and probably other words that Alice couldn't even imagine existed; but even still, she clamped down on the urge to twist her hips just so... She opted instead for nervous babble.

"Do you always distract your opponents with a kiss?" Her voice cracked, and she knew he'd caught it.

Still toying with the dips in her throat, his fingers glided across her collarbone and further along to the other side of her jaw. "Jus' tha special ones."

Alice stiffened beneath him and narrowed her eyes. He gently laughed and the shaking sent a jolt straight to her core. She twitched and swallowed a moan.

"Easy lass," he murmured, lowering his head.

Alice tilted her chin, mesmerized by the deep red-orange his eyes had taken on, contrasting against the shadows. Or were they glowing? A lock of auburny-orange slipped over his shoulder as his nose dipped lower, and the scent of him, of wild, slightly spicy man filled her senses.

_'Yes,'_ she mentally encouraged. Tingles formed at her lips, his chest pressed against hers; it was the most exciting kind of anticipation. Her fingers itched to reach up and touch him.

Warm breath against her skin immediately raised gooseflesh in its trail, and she closed her eyes against the rush of emotion. He nuzzled at her ear and she gasped when she felt his lips open and very lightly whisper over her lobe. Instinctively, her free hand reached for him, and tentatively placed it on his thigh at her side.

This had the unfortunate effect of pulling him back to his half-senses, and he startled back to reality. His eyes were nearly green now, and he blinked down at her with something resembling fear. Immediately, he sprang up and jumped to his feet. Alice winced at the sudden absence, and felt her face heat with embarrassment.

He mumbled something about packing up, then turned and left, kicking up several leaves in his trail. She lay on the ground at a total loss, and listened to his hasty departure into the woods.

Her Sensible Alice mind clashed with Present Alice mind and for a brief moment she felt as if she could throw a tantrum to befit a four year old.

"Well done again, Alice."

She rubbed her palms against her eyes and hugged her knees to her chest.

Truly, it was an unfortunate time and place to develop feelings.

* * *

**A/N: **So, how it's going, everyone? This is the first Alice fic I've ever written and would love some feedback. Is it okay? Amusing? Weak? Mind-numbingly awful? :P At any rate, thank you for reading


	5. Chapter 5

They had packed up and distinguished the fire, and before they'd left the clearing, Chess had appeared and was mildly annoyed. Once again he had apparently been searching the forest for hours (which was saying something for one whose evaporating skills were legend) and had gotten agitated at not finding them sooner. The Outlander told him of their plans to meet up with his associates that evening in the village, and Chess in turn updated them on the White Army's progress. There hadn't been much further time for pleasantries, so they'd said their goodbyes and parted ways again.

For Alice and the Hatter, the relatively short journey back to Farowen was awkward but quiet. With the weight of their very recent, erm, encounter bearing down on both of their heads, Silence seemed to be their mutually unspoken agreement. Beneath her fingers, his body tensed at her every touch. Each bump in the road created the worst kind of torture. Alice struggled to push i_those_/i thoughts aside for the time being, and concentrated on the tasks ahead.

This frustration aside, they reached the village without incident.

At this time of night, the streets were primarily empty, but regardless, they kept to shadows while trailing their way to the inn. It was the same one that Alice's former instigator had mentioned, she'd noticed.

They crept along the darkest edge of the building bordering a side street and peered in through a pair of smoky, glass windows. Inside several people sat around at tables drinking, playing games and talking. A merry fire burned wildly in a large hearth on one end of the room.

The innkeeper, a handsome Outlander woman named Mae Tavley, was busy shuffling a few overly-inebriated patrons out the front door. Alice kept her eyes on the scene before her, but voiced a question that had been pressing on her mind.

"These people we're meeting, can we trust them?"

He tore his gaze away from the glass and looked at her, brows knit. "Yeh should'nae trust anyone. All are potentially spies here."

Alice turned to look at him. "I trust you."

The sound of someone objecting to their premature objection was heard around the corner. Beside her, the Hatter looked as if he wanted to say something further, but opted to frown instead and nodded once in reply.

He gestured Alice ahead and instructed her to go inside, saying he would follow shortly.

She spun around. "You're not coming in with me?"

He was already crossing the damp street ahead and responded by flicking his hands wildly at the tavern, before darting off again for more shadows.

Alice gaped at his disappearing form and turned back to face the inn, shaking her head. The innkeeper was still giving a stern lecture to the rowdy young men she'd tossed out when Alice slipped by and quietly entered the darkened establishment.

She waited against a wall, getting her bearings and taking careful stock of the people present. Chess was supposed to be meeting with them tonight at some point. This thought twisted a wry grin from her lips at the image of Chess in a tavern. If she were barely allowed to enter their town, what sort of welcome would an evaporating Cheshire Cat receive?

Within moments the noise had died down, and belatedly, she realised that nearly every person in the tavern was staring at her. After a beat, she nodded in a way she hoped was friendly. Mentally, however, she cursed the Hatter. How was she supposed to know who to meet and who to avoid?

Brown Alice eyes scanned the numerous cluttered tables before her, when she noticed a spot open further in the room next to a table where a man sat shrouded in darkness near the bar. Seeing no other available options, she wended her way through the crowd towards it. As she picked her way along several patrons she passed ceased whatever activity he or she had been engaged in to gawk at her. I was very obvious that she was out of place.

Fortunately, Alice was accustomed to being the odd one out, so this behaviour barely fazed her. She set her jaw, held her head up and went on; even when one older man tried to trip her which was completely uncalled for in her opinion.

Eventually, the tavern's din returned to what it had been pre-Alice, and she attempted to blend in as much as possible. Out of the corner of her eye, the out-of-place Champion saw the man in the darkened corner shift, and she reminded herself to keep half an eye on him just in case. Those who kept to shadows usually had something to hide.

The lady innkeeper finally returned from her reprimanding to the laughter and applause of several patrons who had apparently witnessed the event that had caused her to lose her temper in the first place. Alice got a good look at her. She was an attractive woman with a sharp jaw, deep-set brown eyes and a strong nose. And while she looked like a person to not suffer fools, when she smiled, her eyes lit up with a kind warmth.

She quickly spied Alice and did a small double-take before approaching her.

"An' what is it yeh'll be needin', lass?" The woman wiped her hands on the towel that hung at her waist and cautiously regarded the Champion; and her finely tailored Marmoreal garments.

Alice had just opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted.

"Och, Mae, yeh need ta be more discriminatin'."

Alice's hackles rose. She knew that voice.

The older woman turned with a raised eyebrow and shook her finger in warning.

"Watch yehrself nauw, or yeh'll be tossed out next, Dunagh. Don' thin' I don' know yeh weren' involved wi'tha' lot ehrlier."

Samlin Dunagh feigned surprise and placed his grimy hands over the place one typically had a heart.

"Tha lads jus' go' a bit riled up's all. Nauw this one," he directed his attention back to Alice. She narrowed her eyes. "This one is real trouble." He advanced and dragged his gaze down Alice's form, lingering at her chest.

Mae Tavley turned back to face Alice warily. "S'tha true, lass?"

Alice retained control and shook her head, keeping her own eyes on Dunagh. "No, ma'am."

Mae nodded and turned back to face the drunken accuser. "Why don' yeh go back o'er to yehr corner there an' hush."

A few men chuckled appreciatively and waited for Samlin's response. For them, the night was turning out to be one full of amusements.

"Oh no," he said enthusiastically, a malicious grin upon his lips. "I stan' by wha' I said. This one's lookin' ta make mischief." He twirled a small pocket knife about his fingers and leered.

Alice discreetly placed a hand on her dagger, and out of the corner of her eye, the stranger in the dark twitched. Across the room, for the briefest of moments she even thought she saw the swish of a faded, bandy tail….

The tavern suddenly went silent for the second time that night, and everyone grew tense. A heartbeat later a blade was at Samlin Dunagh's throat, and a pair of red eyes materialised behind the man.

He froze.

Tarrant Hightopp's lips curled back into a grimace and he pressed the blade menacingly into the other man's flesh.

"Is it mischief yeh wan'?" His roughened voice made Alice shiver, and she was serenely grateful not to be on the receiving end of his ire. "Keep goin' and yeh've go' it."

The atmosphere was thick enough to be stifling as Samlin Dunagh weighed his options. His hands were splayed open innocently and eventually he relaxed with a soft chuckle.

The innkeeper, having finally had enough, grabbed the younger man by the cuff of his torn shirt and jerked him away from Hightopp.

"Not in mine," she growled, tossing the Hatter an equally dirty look.

The gathered patrons erupted into laughter, and Samlin looked like a scolded child being led away by his mother.

Mae tossed him, albeit more gently than the previous men, out the door. "Sleep it off, lad."

When she turned back, everyone abruptly quieted a third time, and she threw her hands to the ceiling in exasperation. "Go on, yeh sods, an' mind yehr ale!"

They did.

The Hatter cast Alice a cursory glance, then one behind her. She glared at him and was about to ask where he'd gone when he broke out into a toothy smile and pivoted, throwing his arms open wide.

Several women had gathered nearby and at this they squealed with delight and sighed his name. He strode to the door and suddenly held it open for, Alice blanched, the healer, Lilas Thistle.

Alice's jaw dropped.

Lilas automatically reached for the arm he offered her, and acknowledged everyone present with an air of contented self-importance.

Several patrons with nervous expressions actually got up and left, but those that stayed welcomed Hightopp cheerfully and made a space for him at a large table near the hearth.

Alice was dumbstruck and more than a little hurt for reasons she wasn't entirely comfortable with exploring yet.

Mae had left Alice and returned with a silver pitcher of something that made the group near the hearth cheer and hold out their mugs in expectation. Across the room, she watched as her friend, the one who moments earlier had, at several occasions, worried her with his uncharacteristic introverted persona, morphed into some kind of… drinking… flirtatious… i_scoundrel/i_.

At her small table, Alice suddenly felt more alone than ever before. None of this made sense. And that was really saying something.

At the table, Hightopp sat at the head, not once looking at her, with Lilas preening at his right side. Several other women were fawning and tittering about him on his other side, making sure his flagon was constantly full. Further on down the table, several men were laughing, or talking with their heads together and gesturing rudely.

She watched this paltry scene and waited for him to make some kind of sign or acknowledgement, anything, to invite her over – but there was nothing. Her fists were perpetually clenched in irritation. She was quite simply baffled and very seriously considered leaving; but first, she pinched herself.

"No other reason," she muttered to herself angrily. Nothing happened. She pinched herself again.

The innkeeper appeared once more and gave Alice an appraising look.

"Ev'rythin' tha' Outlander does is wi'purpose," she said pointedly and sat a mug of something warm down onto the polished table top.

Alice blinked and looked up to her with surprise.

The woman nodded and turned back to serve her customers at the counter.

Beyond, Lilas murmured something in the Hatter's ear, and several laughed at his scandalized blush. The dark-haired beauty then produced a glass phial and poured it into his flagon. Alice tensed, hoping he'd seen that, and sat up in her seat. Lilas then raised the mug to his lips, and with a come-hither stare that made Alice's blood boil, he opened his lips to receive the liquid.

Alice wanted to throw something across the room.

Instead she threw back her chair and stood up, ready to march out and damn any and all consequences that followed. She wasn't quite sure what he was playing at, but she wouldn't subject herself to this spectacle any longer.

A pair of arms encircled her waist before she could complete this grand idea, however, and she was roughly plopped down onto the lap of the man who had been seated behind her in the shadows.

"Easy, lass," he crooned with a pleasantly deep, slightly roughened voice. "Ther's no need ta be tha' way. If it's comp'neh yeh wan', yeh'v go'it wi'me."

Alice whirled and prepared to slap this presumptuous lech, but he caught her wrist easily in his much larger hand.

He smiled a charming, apologetic grin, and the hood of his green cloak fell fully away, exposing a handsome man with sandy blond hair to his shoulders. With a start, Alice recognized it from the one on the man who had been with the Hatter earlier that day. She calmed only minimally.

"We've met, haven't we." It sounded more accusatory than she'd intended, but considering the circumstances in which she'd found herself, he was lucky she hadn't said something entirely less polite.

From across the room, the Hatter watched the scene with hooded eyes.

The man holding Alice nodded rakishly and bowed his chin. "Aye. Not formally, o'cours', but we've been in tha other's presence if tha's what yeh mean."

He raised one hand from her waist and presented it to Alice. "Name's Allander Longbow. At yehr service."

She took it reluctantly. "Alice," she said curtly. Her eyes widened when he brought that hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles sensuously.

For a moment, she forgot herself as his lips graze her skin, but then hastily jerked her hand free a heartbeat later.

He leaned back and grinned. Bright blue eyes twinkled playfully as he contemplated the young woman still on his lap with interest.

She remembered this and gracelessly scrambled out of his hold. Her cheeks flushed.

Allander chuckled and slid her chair closer to his and stood for her to sit the way a proper gentleman might. A proper gentleman who was also in the habit of abducting young ladies and settling them on his lap as a means of introduction, that is.

"Nauw wha' has tha' rogue o'er there go' tha' I don', eh?" he nodded in his friend's direction, ignoring the glare directed at him as a result, and smiled genially at Alice.

She sniffed and folded her arm across her chest. Allander laughed.

"Jealousy befits yeh, Champion."

Her eyes quickly scanned the nearby patrons lest they were overheard, and she sat back down, slightly annoyed.**  
**  
"You know who I am?"

Allander nodded with a lopsided grin. "Aye. But let's ge' back ta how charmin' yeh look with yehr pink cheeks an' pouty lips." He boldly raked Alice's form with his eyes. "A blonde lass is always my downfall," he murmured wistfully.

Alice stared, not entirely sure what to make of this man, but couldn't deny she was flattered against her will. He was obviously here at the Hatter's request, but given that he'd said to trust no one, she kept her guard up. Also, lecherous frivolity aside, at least now she had someone to talk to. This thought prompted her to once more glance at the other end of the bar where a raucous peal of laughter filled the room, where the Hatter was gesticulating wildly.

"Before now, I wouldn't have expected you to be the sort Hatta would take up with."

His grin remained firmly in place.

"There's tha' fire." He glanced down to her untouched drink and sniffed it. Groaning, he quickly set it back down with a splash. "Wha's this she's set ya? Mae!" he shouted to the bar, mock-offended. "A round'a spinolker, if ya please, my darlin'."

The harried woman nodded and turned away.

Allander turned back to face Alice, grinning that insufferably charming grin, and she was slightly mortified to feel herself blush.

"Why Hightopp's choosin' ta take up wi'tha' lot while yehr here is beyon' me, love."

Alice spluttered, her temper rising, and glared at the table. "He can do anything he likes. We," she stammered, "we're not, he's simply," she grit her teeth and took a breath. "That is, we aren't attached. Friends."

At this, the other man's eyebrows rose. "Is tha' so nauw?" The devilish gleam in his eyes grew brighter and he leaned in close. "Then he won' be upset when I steal yeh from him."

She rolled her eyes and cast a withering glance at him despite a fleeting sense of excitement that most certainly was not related to her wanting to get even at Hatter's gross abuse of her person.

"I'm not a thing to be stolen," she said with bite, and looked up as Mae returned with their drinks.

"Take it easy wi'tha," she warned, gesturing to the drink. "An' you min' yehr manners," she said to him.

"I always do," he said with a pout.

"Are yeh hungry?" the innkeeper asked Alice.

Alice realised that she hadn't eaten much of anything yet today and she nodded in response, not having anything else better to do.

"Mae here makes th'finest stew this side o'Witzend."

"Stew?" Alice said, suddenly ravenous.

"Mock turtle," Allander said seriously.

Alice gasped.

Mae laughed and flicked the man on his shoulder. "How is it yehr eyes aren' brown?"

Allander wrapped a friendly arm around her waist and tugged her over to him. "Arris'll be along soon," he said, taunting.

Alice was intrigued to see a spot of colour warm the woman's cheeks before brushing his grabby arms away and walking off with a smile.

"Who?" she asked.

He shrugged and lifted his flagon. "A toast, my blonde lass."

Alice raised her own mug and sniffed its contents carefully. "What is this?"

"Mae also makes th'best brew this side o' Witzend. One sip will remove tha chill an' cure all what ails yeh." He winked at her.

She very much doubted this, but raised it to her lips. Another round of laughter grated against her nerves, and rather than taking a sip, she swallowed a large, burning gulpful. And then promptly coughed.

Allander barked with laughter and patted her on the back. "Look a'tha'!" he called to the men around him, who were also watching the unfamiliar girl choke down their beloved ale with amusement.

Ignoring them, she caught her breath and shivered. Then the most amazing feeling of warmth travelled up from her belly, spreading all throughout her limbs and face, and instantly she relaxed back into her chair.

Allander tipped his glass to her again and took another healthy swig.

"Mam's milk it is."

True to his word, blessedly, her mind cleared of all worry and hurt feelings to be happily replaced by good cheer and an overwhelming sense of… friendliness.

A daffy grin spread out upon her lips, and she blinked calmly at her new acquaintance. Somewhere in the midst of this sparkly haze a small voice at the back of her mind called out reminding her to maintain her wits. Alice nodded seriously. It simply wouldn't do to let herself become incapacitated when serious work was to be done. At least by her way of thinking.

"An' there he goes," Allander said, looking up with a sly smirk.

Bemused, she turned in her seat to see what the nice man was talking about, and her fuzzy buzz melted away. Lilas was leading a non-protesting Hatter up a set up staircase to the floor above; by the hand.

A heartbeat later the mug filled with spinolker was at her lips, and she downed two more large gulpfuls.

Allander sat up, alarmed now, and lowered the flagon back to the table. "Tha nigh' is still young, ease up." He flicked his eyes to the ceiling. "He'll be back."

Alice slumped in her chair, boneless, the grin that had returned contrasted oddly against her furrowed brows. For a moment, she forgot about Allander, and the small voice (who was getting smaller by the minute) was arguing with an angry voice (who was growing by the minute), and both were being listened to by the friendly voice who was only happy to be part of the crowd.

"What do you know about her?" Alice said quietly, peering up at Allander.

He shrugged and linked his hands across his stomach. "She's a frien' o'Hightopp's."

Alice glared and made some sort of choking noise.

He chuckled and leaned closer. "Some say she's a witch."

The small voice in her mind suggested that perhaps she should burst upstairs under the pretense of rescuing him; while the angry one rationalized that he got what he deserved if ill befell him. The happy part said, i_'More spinolker!'/i_

She indulged the latter, and then everyone in her mind went quiet again.

"And how're we doin', luvvy?" Mae asked, laying a bowl of stew down and sitting at their little table with a flourish.

"Halfway through her first mug," he said with an air of pride.

Mae blanched and checked the flagon herself. "S'only been ten minutes, what are yeh thinkin' of Longbow?"

Alice pulled the flagon back to her and wrapped her hands around it protectively. Allander burst out with another round of laughter.

"See tha'? She approves."

Mae studied the young woman closely. "Why isn' she dancing on top o'this table then? For a first timer, she's had enough ta be halfway out o'her silks by nauw."

"We'll get there," he sighed dreamily.

Mae snapped her hand towel at him and rolled her eyes.

"Hightopp's missin'," he said, keeping an eye on Alice, who was slowly sinking further into her seat.

Mae turned around to look at the table near the hearth and saw that not only was he gone, but so was his curly-haired companion, who was, incidentally, her younger sister.

"I suppose he run off wi'Li', has he?" She sighed and looked back to the odd girl who was fighting all reactions to her personal store of spinolker. "Poor thing. Tough though, eh?"

Longbow nodded. "Wha' is he thinkin' of comin' here like this? Ou' o'his mad mind."

Alice, who had been contemplating what it would be like to swim around in her drink, tried to keep up with what they were saying around a spoonful of delicious beef stew.

"Search me," Mae said. "But I'm betting somethin's gon'ta happen." She nodded at Alice. "'Specially nauw tha' this one's here."

Suddenly Alice understood what they were talking about, and belatedly she realized that Mae was also part of the 'circle.'

"A plan," she whispered, leaning on the table. She went quiet again and felt confused. There was something she was supposed to doing, she was sure… only she couldn't remember what. i_'Think, Alice,'/i_ she thought.

"Go on," Mae said.

Allander glared at an old man who had been eavesdropping. "Here nauw," he said, breaking up Alice's concentration. "Nauw's for drinkin' an' bein' merry. Let's just wait for Hightopp ta show his disgraceful hide firs'."

At this point, another man, younger than Allander but striking in his resemblance, approached the table. Allander clapped him on the back, and pulled up a seat. Mae unconsciously brushed a wisp of chestnut hair from her eyes and attempted to hide a grin.

"Evenin' all," the younger man said. "Mae," he added silkily.

Alice sat up in her seat, although she really didn't want to as it felt much nicer to simply lean on something. She shook her head to chase away the cobwebs, and nodded to the newcomer.

"And this is?" he asked.

"Our Champion," Allander muttered with a wink.

The young man, introduced as Arris Longbow, Allander's younger brother, peered at Alice with intrigue. Mae quickly explained the spinolker. Arris instantly shot his brother a look filled with reproach.

Allander raised his palms in feigned innocence. "Why d'yeh assume it was me?"

They both stared at him.

"Alrigh' I had motives," he admitted sheepishly and went back to gazing at Alice happily while they waited.

The younger Longbow took a moment to look around the room. "Where's Tarrant?"

Alice snapped back into the present at the mention of his name and she frowned. "Upstairs." she said a little more loudly than necessary.

Arris and Mae exchanged a glance, and then Allander steered the conversation to something neutral as they waited for the shifty Mad Hatter to return.

As they spoke, a memory poked Alice in the brain. She sat up suddenly and threw an accusatory look at Allander. "Your daughter tried to shoot me with an arrow!"

Arris and Allander both looked at her with surprise.

"Sorry?" Arris asked, confused.

"She means Bryn," he explained. "She's our niece, and aye, she did."

"Niece? Why would you train your niece to shoot people they don't know?" The idea was simply absurd. Children should be frolicking happily, perhaps playing pretend with bows and arrows. Actually killing however… it was just obscene.

The brother's faces both shadowed over with a trace of sadness and Arris looked away.

"Because if she does'nae, someone else will."

Alice paused to consider this.

Arris quietly added, "Her mother, our sister, was the trusting sort."

"And tha's exactleh wha' go' her killed."

The brothers were quiet a moment, and Mae filled their glasses with drink. Alice's fuzzy Alice brain eventually worked out what they had unsaid. Stayne had killed their sister. This was why the Hatter chose them. They wanted revenge on the disgraced knave just as he did.

A sullen mood settled over the table. Mae got up to tend her customer's, the brothers stared into their mugs, and Alice went back to cursing the Hatter for making them wait. 


	6. Chapter 6

At half past midnight, the tavern finally began to clear. Several patrons wobbled out the door, and what stragglers were left behind were so far into their cups that they barely recognized when they were being gently shuffled out by Arris and Mae. A few protested, but in the end, the tavern was devoid of all visitors, save those who were meeting in secret.

It wasn't until all was clear that the Hatter finally emerged. Lilas followed and swept past him, going straight to the bar behind the counter and helped herself to a tot of some amber liquid. He remained at the foot of the staircase and, unbeknownst to Alice, stared darkly across the room where she and Allander remained alone.

It wasn't that he was plying her with drink, the rakish, blond woodsman had reasoned, as it was more not encouraging her to stop. Alice slammed an empty flagon down on the table.

"Yeh'll be a pro in no time," he smiled, shaking his head.

She licked her lips, blearily smiling back at him and nodded. Her new friend reached across and brushed a lock of honey-golden hair from her eyes, and Alice giggled.

"Mind of its own," she said trying to look up at her unruly bangs.

"A lot of thin's have tha'," he agreed solemnly.

An irritated voice replied from behind them. "Such as?"

Alice's head snapped up and her jaw faintly dropped. A double-image of the Hatter glaring down at her swam before her eyes and she tried to blink it into submission.

"Well, look who decided ta join tha fun!" Allander called good-naturedly. At the sound of chinking glass, he twisted around to find Lilas pouring another shot of amber liquid into a small glass. "Ah, we're all t'gether at last."

Alice, the Hatter, and Lilas all reacted to his statement with varying levels of displeasure.

Sensing tension, Mae quickly interjected. "Let's ge' down to it, shall we? Everyone's gone wha' needn't be here."

Hightopp hastily dropped into the chair nearest Alice, casting an inauspicious glance to the woodsmen on her other side. Arris joined his brother; Mae just happened to nab the seat beside him, and Lilas elegantly sat down in the open chair beside the Hatter. The bottle she'd brought clinked loudly on the table.

Alice was desperately trying to fight off the lingering haze of alcohol muddling her senses, but, to her tipsied mind, it appeared as if the buxom brunette and Tarr – Hatter – were avoiding each other's gaze. Whether that was good or bad though she hadn't quite figured out.

Shortly after all were seated, the tiniest _whoosh_ whispered across the back of Alice's neck, and Mae gave a soft cry of surprise.

"Hello, everyone." A giant smile filled with sharp, pearly teeth faded into view. This was followed by a set of large, turquoise cat eyes, and then an even larger, blue-banded Cat.

"What in Underland?" Mae shouted, preparing to battle some errant creature from her tavern.

"Chess!" Alice said happily and attempted to hug him at her shoulder.

The Hatter stayed Mae with his hands. "He's friend."

The Cheshire Cat had the grace to appear abashed, and he humbly bowed to the lady he had frightened. "My apologies, but I felt it prudent to remain hidden while there were others around." He turned his grin on Alice. "Hello, my dear."

She smiled happily first at him, then to everyone else simply because.

Arris realized he'd placed his hand on Mae's without thinking, and he quickly removed it with the faintest of blushes.

"So," Allander began, "why've yeh called us t'gether, Hightopp?"

Alice swung her heavy head towards their unlikely leader. His eyes were yellow. She slipped a little further in her seat.

"As yeh can see, our Champion," he sighed, and threw a nasty glare at the eldest Longbow, "has returned ta Underlan'. An' I think I can speak for all when I say tha' traitor Stayne has worn ou' his welcome."

Everyone at the table nodded.

"To be fair," Lilas casually added, "she's Marmoreal's Champion."

Mae groaned under her breath, and the Hatter stiffly turned towards her.

She quickly went on. "_I_ accept her of course, but I can understan' how many Outlanders will feel when they're told ta follow her an' tha White Queen. It won't be easy."

"Granted." Tarrant said tersely. "To tha' point. It's time nauw ta rally our friends an' allies. The White Army will arrive in sections beginnin' th'morrow, an' we'll need ta be ready."

Allander and Arris looked at each other. Mae quietly twisted her towel in her hands, and Lilas continued running a finger over the rim of her empty glass.

Alice's mind wasn't clearing as quickly as she would have liked. She gazed at each face around the table and tried to follow as best she could.

"What is yehr plan?" Arris asked.

The Hatter then went into detail on what he and Alice had discussed previously. Each member present was tasked with going to their respective clans and neighbours and encouraging them to join with Marmoreal against the Red Loyalists while they had time. Chess would be dispatched to Mirana's army and would alert them when they were ready, and with the help of Tarrant's map of enemy camps, they would begin flushing Stayne and the Loyalists out of their hiding places.

They were to all meet up tomorrow evening with news, along with emissaries from Mirana's army.

"Is it enough time?" Arris asked. A few others nodded.

Hightopp's eyes flickered darkly for a moment and his expression turned grave. "It will have ta be. The less time we take, the less chance we'll have ta fin' trouble."

Alice nodded, very much wanting to contribute to the conversation. She cast a sidelong glance at the wretched Outlandish whisky. _'Some Champion I am,'_ she thought morosely and went back to watching everyone quietly.

Mae was staring off to the bar, and Lilas' brows were furrowed in concentration.

"There are too many ways this could go wrong," Thistle murmured after a beat. Allander nodded in agreement.

Hightopp schooled his expression and waited for her to go on. Alice was about to interject but quieted when she felt his hand close down gently on her arm under the table.

"How do we know those we go to aren't wi' Stayne nauw?"

"Aye," Allander said. "I grant tha' we need more support, but this is a risky game ta play, Hightopp. White Army or no. Stayne fights dirty."

The Hatter removed his hand. "An' wha' would yeh have us do? Cower like a slurvish pack of beaten dogs? For months nauw we've been slowly persuadin' others ta see tha folly of keepin' silent. We have to act now while the element of Surprise is on our side."

Alice hid a smile as his eyes melted into a vibrant green, and his lisp returned for only a moment. Chess purred softly at her side. Given his loathsome opinion on politics he was simply here as a messenger and not a contributor, but it was good to have him there regardless.

Around the table everyone sat in a contemplative silence as each weighed their options.

Alice watched the Hatter out of the corner of her sleepy eyes. He was glancing at each in turn, and when a question seemed to ghost across his face, she followed his line of sight. Arris fidgeted in his seat and hesitantly spoke.

"There's somethin' else. I feel it should be brough' up."

Allander snuck a quick glance at his brother.

"There's been another killin'."

The Hatter's magnificent eyebrows rose. "When?"

"Jus' this evenin'."

Lilas shifted in her chair and frowned.

"I was comin' back from tendin'; after yeh'd left."

"Go on," Hightopp said, leaning forward. Arris was usually an eloquent, composed sort of person. His unease was something to regard with concern.

"Bronwen Hawthorne ran a blade through her husband before turnin' it on herself."

Everyone at the table gasped; Mae's hands flew to her lips. Alice looked around, alarmed.

"How did you hear this?" Tarrant lisped.

Allander spoke up this time. "Halford Whittle stopped 'im in a mad tiz on tha way home."

"Why?" Mae asked, breathless. She'd known the Hawthorne's for years and to her mind Bronwen could never do such a thing. She dabbed at a stray tear that slipped down her cheek.

"Whittle had jus' stopped by. Says he saw tha whole thin'. He mentioned," Arris paused and closed his eyes. "He swore he saw tha Walkin' Death in her."

Allander flinched, Lilas spat on the floor, and Mae turned white. The Hatter stared.

"Don' say such a thin', yeh know that's old wives' tales 'nehow," Mae said fiercely, hands clutching her chest in shock.

The Hatter's eyes shadowed again and he shook his head. "Yehr no'tha firs' ta mention such thin's."

Everyone gawked at this admission. Alice was thoroughly confused but remained quiet.

Minutes went by and no one said anything. Lilas stared determinedly at a spot on the table, and eventually Mae copped her glass.

"I need a drink," Mae said shortly and uncorked the bottle her sister had brought.

Arris held his glass out to be filled next, and Allander finished off his second mug of spinolker.

The elder Longbow reached for Alice's hand in an attempt to diffuse the sullen mood hanging over the group. He placed the glass in her palm and dangled the travelling bottle over its mouth. "Fancy one more dram, Champion?"

The Hatter stiffened beside her. "I must obj–"

"If you can answer this riddle, I will."

At this everyone looked up with intrigue. The Hatter closed his mouth and watched Alice carefully.

She cleared her throat,

"What does man love more than life?  
Fear more than death or mortal strife?  
What do the poor have, what the rich require,  
And what contented men desire?"

The woodsman cocked his head and peered at her curiously.

At her side, the Hatter grinned, bemused, and murmured, "Clever Alice."

Allander, Arris and Mae all settled deep into contemplation; Lilas studied her glass and appeared bored.

No one had yet answered, and as the seconds wore on, Alice felt rather proud of herself.

A clock struck two in a distant room, and Mae jolted with a start.

The eldest Longbow finally threw up his hands. "If yeh don' want a drink, tha's fine by me."

"What is the answer?" Arris asked, genuinely curious.

Alice smiled around at them, but it was the Hatter who answered. "Nothing."

Allander laughed, and Mae stretched in her seat. The evening had come to an end.

"I'd say it's time ta be abed, wouldn't yeh agree, 'Li?"

Lilas rose and gathered her cloak, preparing to leave. She turned to the Hatter and waited for him silently.

Alice stood as well and resisted the urge to glare hate-daggers at her. "Where are we staying tonight?" she asked, her gaze still fixed on the woman whom she was increasingly disliking. Lilas arched a brow.

Hightopp turned and cleared his throat. "Mae has kindly offered us rooms here."

Allander strolled over to Alice's side. "What a fine coincidence then," he purred.

The Hatter's left eye twitched, and he determinedly did not look at Lilas. Rather, he kept his gaze shifting between that of Alice and Allander.

When it became evident that he was not leaving with her, the Healer's lips pursed and her eyes glazed over briefly with hurt. She tossed him a final glance before turning and left the tavern proudly. Mae observed this quietly from across the room, and when Arris announced his intention to leave for bed she jumped at the chance to show him away.

"Speakin' of bein' abed," Allander said quietly in Alice's ear, "I feel I mus' admit I've never been a man wi' contented desires."

Turning around, she found Allander gazing down at her with a look that even Alice's half-tipsy mind couldn't mistake. She swallowed.

Tarrant's eyes flashed crimson. He stepped behind her. "As unofficial protector ta th'White Queen's Champion, I feel it's in all's bes' interest ta keep the Alice away from riffraff like you." He remained standing behind Alice and smiled with his lips, but warned with his eyes. "You understand," he lisped dangerously.

Anger welled in her gut. He had spoken for her again. Her fists balled at her side and she decided that all this forceful handling of her person was coming to an end immediately.

For his part, Chess sat back and enjoyed the spectacle from a worn, squashy chair in one corner, kneading his claws lightly against the scratched leather upholstery.

Allander took a step back and gaped at his friend. "Riffraff?" he repeated. "Nauw tha' hurts, Hightopp."

Tarrant mock-bowed at the hips and gently placed his hands on Alice's arms. She shrugged them off and stepped away.

"I'm sure I can very well find my room on my own."

Hightopp's eyes never left the woodsman, who was feeling increasingly agitated.

"No doubt," he clipped.

"As she says," the woodsman offered. He offered a stiff bow as well, and bit back a grin at the situation he'd found himself in. "Well then. I'm off ta my bed. If anyone should need me…" he trailed off, chuckling, and climbed the stairs to the next floor.

Chess took his cue and bid adieu to the silly pair before him, and evaporated most dramatically into thin air.

Alice and the Hatter stood alone in the middle of the now darkened tavern. She was so upset that she could hardly stand it, so she stamped her foot.

"You're impossible!" she shouted, and, having nothing more to say, turned on her heel to stomp away up stairs.

Her hands gripped the worn banister carefully as she tramped loudly up the old, creaky steps, while her mind railed at the nerve of that frustrating Outlander. So preoccupied was she with her angry mental tirade (the angry voice had finally defeated the others) that she didn't hear the footsteps following behind.

At the top of the stairs was a darkened hallway with only a single, desolate lamp on a table flickering halfway down. With a groan, she realised she did not know where her room in fact was, and she would have to either knock on every door until she found an empty one, or ask—

"Second ta tha left," he murmured at her back. His voice was quiet, and Alice nearly choked at the tone. Like butter slipping down a hot knife.

Alice did not turn back to face him and merely nodded. The movement wreaked havoc with her muddled balance and she hid this by grasping the handle and wrenching the door open.

She very nearly slammed it shut behind her and was relieved to find another lamp lit and dancing on a side table near a bed. _A bed!_ She gazed out at the surrounding darkness and wondered if Mae had somehow also been able to set her things out because she really did not feel like fumbling through the darkness to find something to sleep in.

Another wave of frustration washed over her and she reached out and flung a pillow against the wall. The evening played out before her and, upon reflection, realised that it had gone in a direction she was well on her way to regretting. The Hatter, _Tarrant_, she mentally sneered, had all but abandoned her and had brought in that, that, _woman_. She'd foolishly let herself get intoxicated by an admittedly charming man, and then she – Alice's pride did not allow her to replay what she could remember of the meeting – and then _Tarrant_ who apparently had quite a reputation amongst the _locals_, had dared suggest what she could or could not do, and with whom? She stamped her foot again and shrieked with closed lips as quietly as she could.

"If yehr no' careful you'll wake th'others with tha' racket."

Alice spun in the dark to find a heavily shadowed Hatter standing near her doorway.

"What are you doing?" she snapped. Furthermore, when had he entered?

He stared at her in the dark but did not reply.

Alice's temper flared again and she angrily placed her hands upon her hips and tapped her foot.

"Well?" she asked again.

"Only room left," he said in that tone he'd used in the hall.

The warning voice that had previously disappeared squeaked somewhere deep inside her mind.

Tarrant took a step forward, further into the light, and stared at Alice with a predatory darkness in his eyes that, among other things, unnerved her. That warm knot of 'something' settled in her abdomen again. Also, all of sudden it seemed unreasonably quiet. Oppressively, even. For a moment she had to remember what she was angry about. Damned alcohol.

A cocky grin curved one side of his lips.

Her anger was fading despite her best efforts, but she glared at him anyway.

"So you thought that entering my room would be an acceptable option?" She resisted a wince at her logic because, technically, they had shared a cave the previous night in much closer quarters. It was the principal of the thing. To her horror her heart decided to beat quickly.

_'Traitor,'_ she thought in alarm.

He advanced another step, and despite her growing arousal, her instinctual reaction was to take a careful step backward. This action elicited a rapacious grin from him, and he continued his advancement.

"He want'd you, yeh know." Again with that voice.

_'Oh dear.'_ Alice licked her lips. He was a mere foot away from her now. She could feel heat radiating from him at even that distance, and when her tummy swooped intriguingly, all anger completely vanished. "Traitor," she murmured aloud.

Tarrant cocked his head, and examined her features in the dim light with red-orange, black rimmed eyes. "I wonder, m'Alice," he whispered, leaning close to her ear and lightly inhaling, "would yeh've gevin in?"

He was fully pressed against her now, and with the sound of her rapidly beating heart and panting breaths, combined with the distractingly solid feel of him, she could hardly understand what he had said. "Wh-what?" she breathed, perplexed. Her mind worked quickly to try to understand what was happening.

He smirked and tilted his head the other direction and briefly toyed with the idea of tasting the lips dancing a few centimetres away.

"Lilas!" she whimpered suddenly.

He pulled back and looked at her.

"You were with her." She rapidly blinked, attempting to maintain control. She would not be used as a means to satisfy his hurt pride caused by Allander. A small part of her heart cracked a bit at this thought. That even in madness he might use her in this way. She began to twist away when he placed his hands possessively at her hips. They gripped her, almost painfully, and his usually askew eyes trained on her with perfect equality.

"She an' I had somethin' ta discuss." His tone brooked no argument.

"But –"

"No," he said firmly and leaned in once more.

Alice's heart instantly lifted. He hadn't, they hadn't… a triumphant grin bowed her lips.

"You however," he rasped and pressed against her once more, pushing a sigh from her chest. "You were nearly snatched by that," he stopped himself and inhaled. Alice's cheeks warmed.

His head dipped again to her neck, and she felt his hot breath roll across her skin. "Wha' if _he'd_ kissed yehr neck?"

She gasped as his warm lips suddenly pressed against the side of aforementioned body part for the second time that day.

A low growl rumbled deep in his throat. "Or th'hollow of yehr perfec' throat?" Her head fell back when his lips found this very spot. She shivered as a trail of fire travelled up the column of her throat from the tip of his tongue as he dragged it upwards. She was slowly losing all control over anything.

"Or nipp'd along yehr jaw."

Teeth against skin was the next unexpected, delicious sensation; she whimpered. Her mind was swimming with pleasure and disbelief and remnants of too much ale; her Senses were filled with everything Tarrant. His scent, the pressure of his hands, his chest, his glorious lips - she briefly thought she might actually collapse.

His mouth never left her skin as he gently bit and kissed his way to her ear. Without conscious permission, her hands fisted in the folds of his tattered shirt, encouraging him to continue. She felt him grin against her jaw, and he paused just before reaching that glorious spot he'd discovered for her earlier that afternoon.

Warm lips moved against her heated flesh, and he murmured around the taste of Alice. "Or gently…" his teeth lightly grazed an earlobe, and Alice hissed with pleasure, arching her neck to give him better access.

Pleased with her reaction, he growled again and bit down, eliciting a cry from her. His clever tongue ghosted over the tender flesh, soothing and teasing. She leaned into him wantonly and let her hands slowly move down the front of his chest. Some unknown force was demanding she feel skin and oh how good he felt!

The Hatter counteracted her roaming paws by sliding his hands from her hips up her body and gathering her arms swiftly above her head. Again, his lips never ceased his ministrations, and he backed her against the nearest wall. Alice was completely possessed by him. Her hands tugged weakly against his grasp and she knew her current state of drunkenness had nothing to do with liquor and everything to do with lust.

His mouth moved lower, and Alice longed to have him kiss her properly; lips to lips. She turned her head and dropped her chin. He pulled back and nuzzled her cheek.

"Kiss me?" she breathed, opening heavy-lidded eyes to look at him in the flickering lamplight.

His lips were slightly red from his attentions and his pupils were dilated and still in perfect tandem as they stared into hers. No further invitation was necessary. He moved in and instantly his hungry lips were against hers, fiercely devouring them. There was no gentle exploration of a first kiss. This was passionate, consuming and filled with desperation and want-need_now!_

Alice fought against the firm hand holding her arms above her head, eager to feel him under her palms, anxious to press him even closer against her. As if reading her mind, his hips pressed insistently into hers, and she moaned into his mouth, opening wider for him. Their tongues entwined, caressed, stroked and the scent of spiced mead and spinolker filled her senses. His free hand tangled in her hair, holding her to him as he continued to drink from her fully.

"Alice," he hissed against her lips, finally releasing her arms, and wrapping his around her waist to pull her ever nearer.

"Mm," she mumbled against him, leaning again into his blazing touch and revelling in the feel of his mouth against hers. Never had she experienced anything as intense as this. Not during a fumbled kiss aboard a ship in China; not even in dreams of friends in other Worlds she'd never acknowledged upon waking. This was something entirely New and absolutely Glorious. Something she never wanted to end.

"My Alice," he whispered between fierce kisses. "Why is it," – she nipped his lower lip – "yeh only return when," – her fingers wound through his frazzled hair – "all of Underland needs yeh?"

The question threw her off, and the panting Alice paused a moment, opening her eyes to find his staring back once more. He softened and brushed her belligerent blonde curls from her face and nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"Why don' yeh come back when _I_ need yeh?"

Alice's racing heart skipped uncomfortably at the unexpected sorrow in his voice, but still she remained silent. His hands slid up her sides and around her back, desperation giving way now to tenderness and fear. Gently, he nipped back along her jaw and, with a sigh, pressed his forehead against hers. "I need you all the time." he admitted quietly, not meeting her eyes.

Her previously fuzzied Alice mind began to clear, and she got her breathing in check as she considered not only what had just happened, but also his words. The friendly voice was shouting triumphantly somewhere in the distance, and had he not looked so incredibly pitiful she would have been beaming.

"Hatter."

"No." He looked up at her. "Not Hatter."

Alice gazed at him thoughtfully. "Not my friend?"

He blinked and Alice could feel him begin to pull away. She held on tightly and moved with him.

"Wait."

"Not Hatta." He stepped away, shaking his head. "Well, Hatta, yes Hatter, Royal Hatter. Majesty, Hatter to the White Queen –" he blinked and looked about him as if lost. "Where are my pins? I must have my pins, and bobbins, and ribbon –"

"Hatter, please!" Alice cried, shaking him lightly.

In an instant he had her slammed back up against the wall. His face was pressed closely against hers. "Name. Mm-mmy name."

Alice's heart was pounding against her ribcage. Her wrists were pinned in each hand at her waist, his eyes bore into hers, not blinking. Against her there was no feeling of his chest expanding with air.

"Your name?" she whispered.

He nodded once, sharply.

Alice's eyes softened as she looked at him. She nuzzled her nose against the side of his, and felt him lightly tremble at the touch.

"Tarrant?" she whispered into his ear.

He sighed into her hair and let her hands slip from his. "Once more, please?"

She brought her hands to his waist and dropped a soft kiss against his ear. "Tarrant."

He turned his cheek and captured her lips with his. Tenderness once more disappeared making way for ferocity and demand. Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, head spinning in delirious pleasure.

His hands, those clever things, were roaming up and down her body grasping, sliding, touching – it was wonderful. She softly moaned into his mouth when his hands grazed against her breasts. Instinctively, she leaned into them, and gasped when one finally cupped her through the tunic.

His lips were at her throat again, and each hand alternately filled themselves with Alice's lovely breasts, or waist, or jaw, or honey-sweet hair. He couldn't feel every inch of her fast enough.

At least, from the waist up.

Alice felt a slickness between her thighs, and for a moment was embarrassed. But the feeling of his velvet tongue tracing circles on her collarbone quickly banished all thoughts of modesty. She slid a leg between his thighs and grinned at the groan he elicited.

Through his breeches, she felt him harden. _'Very curious,'_ she thought wickedly. She dragged a hand from his shoulder and slid it under the opening in his shirt. His skin was feverish, and oh how she longed to feel more of it, but her first curiosity took precedence, and it began travelling down his stomach.

His lips followed her lead and Alice gasped once more when they found the edge of one breast. Her nipples hardened and her tummy tightened almost painfully. Still, her curious hand went lower and eventually lingered at the band of his breeches. Its twin arrived, and with a flash of bravery, she slipped one down to ghost over the bulge that was pressing against her hip.

He cried out and bucked against her hand, before she found herself pinned once more against the wall behind her.

In a flash, he jumped away from her touch and his askew eyes blinked and shifted in all directions as if confused. He held his trembling hands out, as if holding back some unseen danger. Alice instantly regretted the move and nearly damned her curiosity.

"Hat- Tarrant," she said calmly and pressed off the wall towards him.

"No!" he shouted and took a step back. He twisted around and looked about the room with alarm and then back to Alice whose hair was decidedly mussed, and the tunic that had slipped off one shoulder, exposing the top of one breast.

"Ohhh," he said and wrung his hands together and shook his head. "Ohh no, what… have I…"

Alice reached for him. In the back of her mind, she realised that he hadn't been Himself moments ago, and she was fighting off being incredibly disappointed. For now, she simply didn't want him to feel frightened or Wrong.

"Tarrant, it's fine. I," she searched for words as his head shook fiercely from side to side, "you did nothing wrong."

"Wrong!" he shouted, knocking over a table near the doorway. "Mustn't harm the Alice," he lisped. "I, oh no, Alice…"

She stepped towards him, dodging the fallen table in the darkness. "No, you didn't do anything bad, I wanted it." She reached towards him, hoping her touch would calm him.

He knocked her hands away and gripped the door handle. He was in near total darkness again, and Alice couldn't see his expression. His voice, however, deepened again, and a sliver of light emerged from the lamp in the hall.

"I'm sorry. I should'nae have…" he exhaled with a groan and spun around and out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

Alice stood in the dark, listening to the sound of his retreating footsteps. She wrapped her arms about herself, bemoaning the loss of contact from moments before, and attempted to get her breathing to slow. A tear slid down her cheek. The girl from Upland stood staring at the door for several quiet minutes hoping, wondering, if he would return.

When he didn't, she turned forlornly and looked at the bed. For days she had been dreaming of sleeping in a proper bed. She supposed the one before her had probably been comfortable and cozy for those who had previously slept in it. To her, now, it looked cold and lonely.

With only a small amount of surprise, Alice found that she'd have taken a hard cave floor near him, rather than sleep on that alone.

* * *

**A/N:** So, this was written for the aiw_big_bang fest on lj, and for this challenge I had the most unbelievable luck in having Clarice1682 choose my story to bestow lovely artses upon.

Everyone, you really should check it out so you can bask in it's glory, because it's absolutely gorgeous, and it involves the naughty scene above. And when you go, be sure to tell her just how much you love it! It made my whole freaking _month_ when I saw this, and I'm still kind of in awe.

The link to this exquisite pic can be found here: .com/clarice1682/pic/000161sb Really, you must see it. It's pretty sexy.

P.S. How am I doing so far? What do you think about the OC's I created? I kind of like them, myself.


	7. Chapter 7

The bed creaked indignantly when its occupant awoke with a sharp jolt. Alice's chest heaved, and a damp sheen of perspiration covered her flushed cheeks and forehead. The last remnants of a horrifying dream filled with soulless people with swords wandering the forest, chasing after her and Tarrant flashed before her mind's eye. For some reason this information felt like it should be significant, but with each passing second, the memory of it faded to obscurity. And then there was that headache.

Gingerly, she massaged her temples and grimaced at the sunlight filtering in through a small curtained window. She lay motionless in the warm bed, under soft sheets, and stared up at the cobwebs daintily fluttering between heavy wooden beams in the ceiling. She knew she should be feeling happy about sleeping in this bed, but instead her heart felt troubled.

Slowly the events of the previous evening came flitting up to attention, and Alice covered her face with a pillow to muffle a horrified groan. Before she could wallow appropriately, however, something moved on the floor by her bed. She stilled.

In the pale light, she lowered the pillow and strained her ears to hear the unseen thing and wondered for a moment if it were a mouse. Or even a dormouse. Ignoring the stab of pain the rush of blood sitting up in bed caused, she quietly crawled to the foot of the bed to peek over the edge. She idly wondered where she'd placed her dagger.

Tarrant was lying on the hard wooden floor asleep under his filthy morning coat. His shirt, boots and various accoutrements lay neatly placed on a chair by the door. A beam of light fell upon a less-pale-than-expected, bare shoulder. The jacket didn't quite fall long enough to cover his entire back, thus a stretch of toned, creamy skin captured Alice's fascination, and she unabashedly stared.

Several different feelings swirled around inside of Alice as she faintly remembered what had happened the previous evening. He had been frightened away. _'Or,'_ she bit her lip, 'I _frightened him away…_'

He had advanced on Alice like a man possessed – and she had been nearly embarrassed at how excited that had made her. One minute they had been, erm, intimate, and all anger at him had disappeared. The next he'd run off leaving her feeling more than a little frustrated and entirely Small.

Alice settled onto her stomach and rested her head upon her forearms in contemplation. Minutes ticked by as she silently watched the gentle rise and fall of his body as he slept, and she felt a wistful tug of happiness pull her heart at the peace he seemed to find in sleep.

He really was beautiful.

Unbidden, Lilas' face swam to the surface and she frowned. There was something odd there, she was sure. Certainly the other woman had feelings for him if her possession of him the previous night were any indication. Jealousy flared up in her chest. Jealousy and perhaps a tinge of fear.

A loud series of knocks thundered against the door and Alice and Tarrant both jumped.

"Hightopp', yeh frumious slalladrag, climb ow'v bed, an' bring tha'blonde lass wi'yeh!" To the objection of Alice's aching cranium, the thunderous sound of Allander Longbow's footsteps echoed through the hall and down the stairs.

On the floor, Tarrant had startled awake and glared at the doorway, softly cursing in Outlandish.

Alice rose to her knees.

She watched as he turned towards the sound of the creaking bed and glanced up at her. His wild, fiery hair was in a tangled mess with one side stuck to his forehead. She dropped her head to her shoulder. It was utterly charming, really.

Incredibly, he blushed and looked away. Climbing to his feet, he slipped the jacket on over his bare chest. Emerald green eyes snuck a quick glance at Alice in her nightshirt (which she made no attempt to cover and hang modesty) before shuffling towards the basin.

No words were exchanged while he poured fresh water into the bowl, and in the silence Alice really did try not to stare at his back, or chest, or the intriguing line of hair disappearing beneath—

"Alice?"

She shook her head. "Yes?"

He cleared his throat. "I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast. We can't stay long." He hastily slipped his shirt on and left without her response.

She was alone again.

With a stab of frustration she buried her faintly bruised ego and slipped out of bed. The reality of the looming day's responsibilities took precedence and she needed to be ready for whatever the Hatter needed of her. Their peculiar situation could be dealt with at a later time.

Like him, she got herself ready as quickly as her pounding headache allowed and made her way down the stairs for breakfast. She was the last to arrive, and when she spotted dark chestnut curls amongst the heads of those gathered at a table she stifled an audible groan.

The Hatter pulled out a chair for her without looking up. Alice pursed her lips and sat.

Mae arrived at her side and handed her a tiny bottle of something and simply said, "Drink."

Alice didn't question the mystery solution and swallowed it in one gulp. Lilas sniffed sardonically and looked away. No doubt, to her, swallowing any substance without a cursory inspection was considered negligent.

A cool sensation trickled down Alice's throat and almost instantly the headache was gone. She looked up to Mae, who winked, and then disappeared into another room. Alice shook her head in amazement and once again marveled at the fantastic realities that belonged to Underland.

Allander was watching from a chair opposite her, grinning from ear to ear, arms crossed over his chest.

"G'mornin', my blonde lass. I trus' yeh slept well?"

To her frustration Alice felt her cheeks stain, and he and Arris both chuckled, though Arris at least attempted to hide it.

The elder brother dramatically switched dispositions. "I was a wee bit disappointed no' ta hear a knock on my door last nigh'."

Alice crooked a brow and took the bowl Mae handed her from a tray.

"Eat nauw, you lot," she said. "Yeh've only go' an hour before yeh need ta leave." She turned to her sister. "How is tha boy?"

Alice started; she had nearly forgotten about the boy in the forest. Lilas set down her bowl.

"He'll be fine. He's healin' well."

Alice sighed with relief and snuck a glance at Tarrant. His face was devoid of any recognizable emotion.

Around the table everyone set to the porridge Mae had prepared, and quickly went over the plans for each member.

The Longbow brothers were going to split up and go to their various Clan members and neighbours, Lilas had agreed to visit the various acquaintances of hers that most others would typically deem "unsavoury" and who were involved in the magical arts, while Mae would set off to visit her family and persuade them to branch out to their surrounding neighbours.

"I'll need you ta visit Aunt Merhli, 'Li. She's ou' yehr way."

Lilas nodded. "Give my best, won't yeh?"

Mae smirked. The ghost of a grin may have appeared on the Healer's lips, but as soon as it had appeared, it quickly disappeared.

"Good," Tarrant said, looking up from his breakfast. They had as many people as they could cover accounted for. If they could each persuade them to help, they would have a definite advantage over Stayne.

Beside Mae, the Cheshire Cat materialised, and she let out a shriek. Their group was complete.

"Confound' yeh, Cat, is there no other way ta enter?" she grumbled.

His wide, toothy smile was her only answer. He nodded to the assembled crowd and greeted Alice.

Breakfast was then quick and quiet, and when they had finished eating, Mae stood to gather the dishes. Lilas reached into a bag at her feet and produced that increasingly questionable phial, whose contents were now seriously distressing Alice.

The Healer dropped the clear liquid into the Hatter's drink, which he promptly ingested. Alice narrowed her eyes.

"I've been meaning to ask about something you mentioned last night," she said.

Tarrant watched her warily and nodded.

"You mentioned a draught of some sort. The Walking Death, I think you called it?"

The table went still. Lilas trained her dark eyes on the Champion.

"What is it?" she asked further.

The Hatter opened his mouth to answer, but Lilas beat him to it.

"It's a potion of legend tha' mothers an' fathers tell ta their children at night."

The Longbow brothers elbowed each other.

"Arris was convinced it was real when we were lads."

Alice's brows furrowed. "So, it doesn't exist?"

Lilas tossed her chestnut curls over her shoulder and shrugged. "Some say it does."

Mae hissed at her side. "Don' say it. It's too horrible."

"Why?" Alice asked intrigued.

Lilas' gaze was still trained on her. "It steals yehr soul. The Walkin' Death, once ingested, seeps into one's very bein' an' replaces all emotion, all thought, all free will, an' makes yeh slave t'tha one who gave it to yeh."

The Hatter's eyes had darkened as she spoke and he stared straight ahead into nothing. "You're a living ghost." He blinked. "The Walking Death."

Alice felt a chill ripple down her spine at the thought. To have no control over your life and be absolutely at the mercy of another? A, most likely, deranged other? She shuddered and turned to Arris who had been the one to bring it up last night.

"You say this happened to someone you know?"

Lilas also turned to the younger brother with interest.

He ducked his head and shrugged. "So says a traumatised old man."

Allander added, "An old man wha' isn' prone ta tell tales, mind."

Her eyebrows furrowed further as an idea creeped into Alice's thoughts. Something the Hatter had told her the other day echoed through her memory about how the first instances of unrest seemed unconnected and accidental. She opened her lips to mention this, but a quick jerk of his head and a warning look in his eyes stilled the words on her tongue.

He looked away and stood up.

"We'd best get started."

The group rose from the table and began to gather their affects in order to leave. Mae busied herself with packing bundles of food for each to take on their journeys and handing them out.

The Champion approached the Hatter who had whispered something to Lilas as she was about to leave. The woman laid a hand on his arm and kissed his cheek before going to say goodbye to her sister.

Alice ignored a sudden fluttering of jealousy in her stomach.

"What is it she gives you?" she asked quietly.

He turned in surprise and cocked his head.

Alice arched an eyebrow. "That won't work with me. I know very well that she has been slipping something into your drink. She gave me those phials to give you when we first met in the forest. What is she giving you?"

Dark Hatter rose again to the surface and calmly blinked back at her.

She exhaled through her nose and shook her head. "Does it have to do with this supposed potion?"

He stepped towards her, and Alice felt a shiver at the base of her neck. "I would'nae worry abou' tha. Are there any more questions? I've a long way ta go before we meet tonigh'."

"Meet? Am I not going with you?"

He shook his head and strode towards Mae to get his bundle. Alice gaped after him, her temper rising at her dismissal.

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"Yehr ta wait here for news from Chess on Mirana's whereabouts. We'll meet later a' tha clearing we left las' nigh'."

"I'm simply to wait in a tavern while everyone else risks their lives in the forest until help arrives?"

The Hatter spun around to face her with an expression that held absolutely no compromise. "Aye. You are the Queen's official _emissary_—"

"Champion." she corrected.

"Be tha' as it may, yehr role has been fulfilled. You were to find me and deliver her news, which you have successfully completed," he ended in his courtly lisp.

Alice angrily glanced over to Cheshire who vanished into a stream of powdery smoke and reappeared by Mae, much to her astonishment.

Tarrant unexpectedly grasped her hands and looked into her eyes with his yellow ones. "You were not asked to fight, Alice. And if I can help it, you will not."

She opened her lips to argue, but he swiftly covered them with his own. Resentment warred with her deep affection for him, but she eagerly returned the kiss. In the background, Allander swore lightly.

"Wait here until an hour after dark. Then go into the forest with the bandersnatch and meet us with news from Mirana."

The urge to glare at him nearly overshadowed the urge to wrap her arms around him and ask him to let her go with.

"I'll no' compromise, Champion." His tone had slipped back to the wild brogue, and he looked at her one last time before saying a quick goodbye and leaving the tavern.

One by one, Mae Tavley's inn was vacated, and when Mae herself was about ready to leave, she called the girl over to her and led her to a room hidden from her patrons.

"I'll be closed up today. Yeh'll probably hear grumblin' from ou'side as a result. Jus' ignore it." She walked over to a large, iron stove beside an even larger, impressive stone hearth. "I've go' a nice stew for yeh. There's bread on tha counter. Feel free ta help yerself ta whatever yeh'd like."

The older woman smiled kindly at her and patted her on the arm.

"He's very fond of yeh."

Alice briefly considered if their definition of that term were the same.

"And we're fond of him."

"Will you be all right?" Alice asked.

Mae fastened a cloak around her shoulders and attached a thick leather belt at her hips. "Oh aye. I know these woods like tha back o'me hands. There's no' many who'll dare mess wi'me."

She left Alice and headed towards a back door and lifted the catch. "'Sides," she added playfully, "there's a witch in tha family. Who would dare tangle wi'tha?"

Alice nodded politely and wondered at the truth of those words.

"See yeh before ya know it." She left and closed the door, leaving Alice and Chess to themselves.

"Alright, love?" the evaporating feline called silkily from the next room.

"You mean aside from feeling useless and slightly abandoned?"

The Cheshire Cat purred and allowed Alice to quickly scritch his ear.

"All that galumphing through trees and muck; really, you're much better off in a nice, dry, comfortable building, relaxing."

Alice snorted and shook her head.

"What do we do now?"

Chess stretched his large arms and kneaded his impressive claws on a rug. "I will go and let the Queen know that Tarrant and his reluctant followers have set out and will meet back this evening."

Alice slumped down in a nearby chair.

"Don't worry. I'll be back from time to time to check on you and let you know how he's doing."

She peered up at him through her eyelashes. His big, grinning smile stretched nearly to his ears while he swam circles around her playfully. "By the way, I'd watch that Allander fellow. It seems he has some very serious Eyes for you. Tarrant doesn't share well."

Alice waved away the smoky shroud he vanished through in annoyance and was once again alone.

Around her, the tavern suddenly seemed much larger than before and eerily quiet. She hugged her knees to her chest and already wondered how long it would take before Chess returned. She huffed. This whole circumstance was wretched.

For a few moments, Alice pondered what she could do with her person to occupy the time.

For a while she contented herself with roaming about the tavern and investigating the spare rooms upstairs. She attempted to expand her knowledge of the kinds of liquors and ales Mae kept stocked behind the counter, particularly that foul drink that had caused her so much trouble the previous night. At lunch she ate the delicious stew Mae had prepared.

True to his word, Chess had stopped by twice with news from both Mirana and Tarrant. The White Queen had arrived with her small army, and they were camped in a well-hidden location a few miles away. Her scouts had so far reported no alarming activity and it had appeared as if they'd arrived unnoticed. The Longbows had been successful with their family's clans, and Mae had convinced her family to join as well. Nothing had been heard or seen yet of Lilas, and Tarrant had only managed to convince three or four families that had once been close to the Hightopp Clan to fight alongside him.

At dinner, Alice ate more stew and crusty bread.

When the sun was finally about to set, Alice had taken to reading an old book of folk remedies she'd found on a shelf near Mae's personal rooms, and she'd just lit a lamp in order to continue reading. The alternative had been pacing nervously.

She was engrossed in an interesting entry from a woman who'd claimed that her great-great-great grandmother had created a draught whose properties mimicked exactly those she'd been told of The Walking Death's. This was the third entry that had made such a claim, but what made this one stand out was that not only had the woman created a draught, she had also created an antidote. Alice was intensely focused on this bit of information when a frantic knocking on the back door caused her to drop the book in surprise.

Throughout the day there had been several frustrated knocks by sober regulars on the front door, and a couple on the side windows, but as directed, Alice had ignored them. None of them, however, had been this persistent.

With a slight groan, she picked the book up off the floor, and quietly went to investigate. She peeked out a window to see who her intruder was, but saw only the top of a very small person's head that had continued to pound the door with great enthusiasm.

Alice relented, thinking this very odd, and hesitantly opened the back door.

"May I help you?" she asked.

A small boy, who was pulling in great lungfuls of air, fairly danced on the spot. "Are you… the... Alice?" he gasped.

Alice stared down at him, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Who asks?"

The boy wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and struggled to catch his breath, having just run a mile to find her. "The Hatter… he's… yehr ta come quickly. Ta tha woods."

A chill swept down Alice's spine and she looked up to the fading light in the sky. Tarrant had said to wait until an hour _after_ dark. "Has something happened?"

The boy nodded and his next words spurred into action, forgetting her previous instruction.

"Poison," he breathed. "There's a poison."

Alice's dream from the previous night flashed before her eyes, and she dashed away to grab her belt, satchel and dagger. Rushing outside, nearly forgetting to even close the door to the tavern behind her, she whistled for Bandy, who appeared moments later.

He whined impatiently, the coarse fur on his neck spiked with worry, and attempted to give Alice's cheek a lick.

"Quickly, Bandy," she said while pulling herself up onto his back, "we have to get back to the clearing from last night. Hatta is in trouble."

The bandersnatch raced off into the fading light, and Alice held on for dear life, hoping there was something, anything that she could do to help him. And desperately hoping she wouldn't enter the woods to find that her dream of soulless bodies wandering aimlessly had become reality.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Mild non-con ahead._

The sound of the bandersnatch crashing through the woods caused numerous birds and rodents to relinquish their night-time hiding places. Alice had long since given up the notion of having the element of surprise. Perhaps the sound of some great, lumbering beast would stall whatever horrible activities that she imagined were taking place in her mind, in the clearing.

Bandy abruptly turned and went up a steep incline. She leaned forward, gripping his sides with her knees, and his fur with her fingers.

They arrived as the last meek rays of twilight twinkled down through twisted branches, and they slowed to a quieter pace. At first glance the clearing appeared empty, and Alice was terrified that they had been too late. But then the bandersnatch caught the scent of something familiar and lowered his face to the leaves to snuffle about.

"Watch where you're goin, you brute!" a tiny voice shouted from somewhere on the ground.

"Mallymkun?" Alice called with an insanely happy grin on her face.

"Who else?" the fierce little dormouse called indignantly.

Alice slid down and bent forward to collect her small comrade in hand.

"How did you get here, and where are the others?"

The dormouse had the grace to appear very slightly abashed. "Chess brought me ahead to wait. Said I complain too much."

Alice looked about the otherwise vacant clearing, confused. "I don't understand, where is Hatta?"

Mally heaved a long-suffering sigh and crossed her arms. "Didn't you listen? I said they aren't here yet. I'm the first."

The bandersnatch looked up and growled out at the surrounding darkness. Alice drew her blade.

"But the boy," Alice said, feeling increasingly foolish. "He said there was trouble. That the poison…"

A tree limb snapped in the dark.

"Trouble?" The dormouse drew her hatpin sword, confused at this unexpected turn of events. "What's goin' on?"

"Alice," a familiar, oily voice called from the forest, "is that you?"

The bandersnatch snapped its razor sharp jaws and stepped in between Alice and their adversary. More limbs and leaves were disturbed around them and instantly Alice understood with painful clarity what had happened.

"_Hide_ Mally," she whispered, allowing the dormouse to scamper away down her legs.

A long shadow separated itself from the others, and to Alice's horror, Ilosovic Stayne emerged just as tall and forbidding as she'd remembered. Several others joined him, surrounding Alice, searching the darkness for others.

"Who were you talking to, my dear?"

The bandersnatch jumped forward and swiped his powerful claws at the former Knave of Hearts. The knave easily countered them with his sword, cutting a long gash along the beast's arm.

"Subdue him," he called to his companions, and approximately thirty men appeared and began trying to take the beast down.

"Leave him alone!" Alice cried helplessly as ropes and nets were cast, and staffs and blades slashed and beat the majestic bandersnatch into submission.

Alice trained her blade on Stayne with a sick feeling settling in her stomach. She had been set up. There had been no attack.

Stayne circled Alice and she took a deep breath.

"I didn't realise how much I'd missed you, Um," he murmured, a step closer to her left.

She turned and considered the benefits of going on the offensive first. Perhaps she could at least harm him enough to make it easier to attack when the others eventually found him. Even if she wouldn't be alive by then.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You've already got him," she said affecting calm, indicating the howling bandersnatch behind her. Her heart broke at the sound of his pain while he struggled to keep defending his Champion.

"That's too bad," Stayne said, halting his movements. "I had so hoped to see your other friends." She could almost hear the smile in his voice. "But you'll do in a pinch."

Alice set her jaw.

"There's no one else here," said a man somewhere to the right.

"Bind her hands."

Alice lashed out blindly then, swinging her pitiful dagger at any and everything she could as several men pounced, surrounding her. Honestly, the Hatter would have been quite pleased with her performance – she had done surprisingly well considering the circumstances. At least she had until a shattering pain erupted at the base of her skull and she dropped to her knees and blacked out.

The dull throbbing at the back of her head finally pulled Alice from unconsciousness. She lay, sore and bruised, with her eyes closed on a warm bed, and there was a funny taste in her mouth. She longed to reach back and feel what kind of damage had been done to her skull and wouldn't be surprised if it had been cracked wide open, because it certainly felt as if it were. She would have checked if her hands weren't bound.

Licking her dry lips she slowly opened her eyes while her brain struggled to remember why she was in this situation in the first place.

Footsteps crunching through dry leaves sounded nearby, and Alice's vision slowly re-focused and took in her surroundings. It was dark, but a lit oil lamp beside her showed that she was currently inside some kind of sparsely furnished, canvas tent. The rustle of fabric being pushed aside alerted her to an intruder and she closed her eyes and lay still.

"Bring the tea as soon as it's ready."

It was Stayne.

Alice carefully tested the strength of the knots holding her captive. They were pretty solid. With a pang she figured she was probably doomed.

"Still asleep, my pet?" he whispered, coming to kneel at her side. He ran a gloved hand along her jaw, and a freakishly long finger traced across her lower lip and toyed with prising them apart.

Alice bit down.

The knave yelped and wrenched his hand free before slapping her hard across the face.

Her cheek stung, but nonetheless she glared up at him and struggled against her bindings.

"Let me go," she grit through clenched jaws.

Stayne smiled sadistically down at her and shook his head. "I think not."

Behind him a woman with a black eye, dressed in rags, entered holding a tray with a silver teapot and tea things. She carefully set them on the table that held the oil lamp and immediately shuffled away.

Stayne bent forward to inhale the steamy wafts of fragrance curling up from the teapot with reverence and ignored Alice's frantic flopping about. "You must try this blend. I know how fond you are of tea parties, and I find this combination incredibly refreshing."

She watched as he began delicately peeling away his black leather gloves and carefully, purposefully, laying them aside, and then set about removing his boots. Next, he poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip before standing back to admire Alice's prone form. His black eyes travelled up and down her figure and with each passing second Alice's skin crawled under his scrutiny.

"You're a very hard girl to find," he said, now loosening his belt. A shock of fear travelled through Alice's body.

"The Hatter is a gifted tracker," he added.

"You'd better hope he doesn't track you," she said, once again trying to pull her arms free, her mind scrambling to find a way out of this mess. "In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't found you already. You've been very lucky."

He chuckled at this and shrugged as if that were an honest compliment, then set his teacup down.

"I keep good company. Although now that Mirana, in all of her infinite _wisdom_," he sneered, "has finally seen fit to put an end to my little conquests, I doubt I'll have many for much longer."

Alice stopped fighting and pleaded with him. "Then stop this now and give in to her demands. You can't win this… whatever it is you're trying to win. It's laughable to think you can walk away unscathed."

The knave crossed to Alice in one step and leaned down, his face inches from hers. "It isn't the White Queen I want," he whispered dangerously. "It's that _Hatter._"

Alice flinched at the venom in his voice.

"He's the one who ruins everything." Stayne inhaled Alice's scent and dragged a long hand to her throat. She swallowed and tried to twist away but the cords binding her arms to the bed prevented any such mercy.

He placed his fingers around her throat and lightly squeezed. "He found You, and helped You get the Vorpal Sword, thus defeating that wretched Iracibeth. He chased me to the outskirts of civilisation, and now that I've finally managed to eke out a comfortable living in the land the White Queen's Realm had forgotten, he's forcing me to once again fight for my survival."

His hand brushed lower and settled over Alice's breast. She swallowed against the bile at the back of her throat and continued fighting to get away from his touch.

"I can't beat Mirana," he leaned over her now, pressing his body against hers, "but I can beat him. And I can beat you," he whispered in her ear. "Unlike that daft lunatic, you have your uses. And I intend to Use you, Alice."

She twisted and bucked until he settled his full weight on top of her.

"Get off!" she screamed, kicking as desperately as she could and feeling as though she could wretch.

"And now, thanks to his little friend," he grunted, "I have exactly the tools I need to make you mine, and to make him squirm." His mouth lowered to her throat as his hands slid up and down her arms. To her horror, she felt his excitement pressing insistently against her hip, and tears formed at her eyes.

"That one little sip will make you my slave forever. And if you're good, we can play a little longer while you're able to enjoy it."

Alice froze.

"What?" she choked. "I'm not drinking anything."

He chuckled once more and nuzzled her other breast causing Alice to writhe in revulsion and panic.

"I take it you already know to what I refer?"

Her mind was yelling at her to pay attention amidst her consuming need to flee and fight, but she was unaccountably afraid for some reason. Something was wrong.

"The Walking Death?" she shuddered.

"Mm, such a clever girl," he hummed against her throat, his hips slowly rocking into hers. Alice bit down on his ear and he cried out. The back of his hand connected to her cheek with a loud smack.

"Enough of that!" Long fingers encircled her throat again and this time squeezed painfully. Alice's eyes bulged and her windpipe constricted. In a panic, she thrashed her legs out and managed to catch him in the ribs.

He straddled her hips, hands still on her throat, with a manic gleam in his eye. "Perhaps you don't want to play, is that it?" Spittle gathered at his lips, and with one hand he began working his trousers open.

Alice squirmed against him and continued gasping for air she wasn't receiving. The edges of her vision began to grow dim.

"I'd hate to think of damaging you, dear _Champion_, but I'll try to keep you intact for as long as I can." He fumbled to raise Alice's tunic, and gripped the waist of her own trousers and tugged. "How exciting it will be to see the look on his face when he realises what I've created."

Alice's mind was shutting down, and her movements slowed as her body used up its oxygen supply. Dimly, she switched her internal demands from hoping to get away to simply hoping it would soon be over. How desperately she wished Tarrant were here.

At the end of this musing, suddenly the most unexpected thing happened. His fingers relaxed its hold on her throat.

Alice inhaled violently and coughed. Blinking through tears, she noticed that Stayne had an odd expression on his face.

In fact, he'd stopped all movement other than bracing himself against her shoulders.

"What is this?" he slurred and wobbled.

Alice's heart was slamming against her ribcage and she watched him, feeling the tiniest glimmer of hope well within her. Something was happening to him.

Before she could wonder at this stroke of luck, he collapsed on top of her and was still.

Alice's mouth fell open in surreal shock and she felt his breath hot against her cheek.

"I thought he'd never shut up!" Mally exclaimed at her side. The little mouse's eyes were wide with fear, and for a second Alice even thought that the Hatter's brave protectress was trembling.

"Mally?" Alice whimpered.

The dormouse leaped from the side table near his teacup to the bed and began hacking away at the ropes tying Alice down. She occasionally tossed the girl a worried look in between chewing and cutting.

"We've got to hurry." she said after gnawing through the first rope. "I only had a small amount of that sleeping draught on me and he won't be out for long."

The realisation that Alice had been saved finally kicked in and she grinned.

"Mallymkun, if I ever doubt you again, you have my permission to jab me with your hatpin sword every time."

Finally, the remaining cords were cut, and Alice pushed the knave off of her and collected her friend once more in hand.

"How do we escape?" Mally whispered. Alice raised the corner of the tent's flap and peeked out. It was well past dark now and there didn't appear to be anyone nearby.

"How long have we been here?"

Mally looked up anxiously to Alice. "At least two hours, I'd say."

Alice blanched. "Two hours?" The fact that Alice had been unconscious for two hours in Stayne's captivity re-doubled her fears.

"Shh!" the dormouse hissed, rubbing her paws together. "I wasn't even sure you'd wake up after…"

With increasing alarm, Alice waited for her to go on. "After what?"

Mallymkun inhaled and looked up to Alice with pity. "After he'd poured that potion down your throat. I don't know what it was, but considering what he'd said… "

Alice's blood froze and she felt a chill creep up her body.

_"That one little sip will make you my slave forever."_

"Mally?" her voice was surprisingly calm, "Are you saying that Stayne poisoned me with the Walking Death?"

The tiny warrior met Alice's eyes. There was no way for either to know, and yet somehow, she did.

The two stared at each other in silence while Alice tried to process this new revelation.

On the floor, Stayne moaned faintly. Mally snapped back into action.

"We'll figure the rest out later, for now we have to go."

Alice shook herself and agreed. The tent flap was raised once more, and seeing no one about, she slipped out and crept down its side.

Looking around, they realised with alarm that they were, in fact, amongst dozens of ragged tents in a makeshift village of sorts. It appeared to be Stayne's main camp.

She peeked her head around the next corner and blinked as her vision doubled. Alice dismissed this as coincidence and crossed a lane to the next canvas hut. They listened for the sound of anyone nearby, and somewhere in the darkness they heard a low howl.

"Bandy!" she whispered. "Mally, if we can get to him, maybe we can escape."

The dormouse nodded, and they carefully followed the sound of his tortured moans until they reached the edge of the encampment where the bandersnatch was tied without incident.

She squinted out at him and this time her double-vision couldn't be blamed on a head rush. She leaned against a small tree that formed a post for an empty lean-to.

"Are you alright?" Mallymkun asked from her shoulder.

"I'll be fine. I think there are only two guards, look."

Sure enough, there were two guards standing on either side of the beast. They had tied several ropes around his neck which were then staked to the ground. Each guard had a sword, with more weapons nearby.

"I can take them," Mally whispered fiercely at her ear.

"Good because I'll definitely need the help."

"Wait for my signal."

Alice set the determined little fighter on the ground and watched as she scampered towards the nearest guard. She then proceeded to climb up the man's legs, and before he even knew there was a small creature using him as a ladder, he cried out in pain when she stuck her hatpin in his eye.

The guard frantically swiped at his shoulders, not entirely sure what was happening, and the other sentry went over to investigate.

"Wha's'wrong? Why're'yeh flailin' abou'?"

Alice took this time to dash out of the shadows, dagger in hand and bashed the non-injured guard in the head with its hilt. He dropped to his knees, and the man Mally had stabbed blindly swung out with his sword and yelled for help.

Alice dodged the blade that flashed before her, and rolled around, knocking his feet out from under him. This inconveniently placed the poor soul near the bandersnatch who then quickly disposed of him.

"Hold on, Bandy." Alice began slicing through the ropes holding him down.

"Alice!" Mally yelled from the ground. "We've got to go now!"

The bandersnatch roared as several men began pouring out of tents and rushing towards them. She'd only cleared half of the ropes that bound him. But the dormouse was right.

"Can you get the rest of these?" she called frantically to Bandy. She was torn between wanting to run and wanting to help get him free.

The animal nodded and nudged her away before training his fearsome sight on the half-terrified Loyalists.

"Come on!" the dormouse yelled again and scampered up Alice's leg.

She took off, shaking to clear her head to no avail, and reached out for what appeared to be many trees before her.

"I can't see," she mumbled, ducking and dodging every perceived impediment.

"To your left!" Mally shouted, trying to guide her.

Alice stepped to the right.

"Now you're clear, run!"

Alice tore off down a hill as fast as she was able, but her limbs did not seem to be cooperating as usual. There was also very little light, and consequently they didn't see the drop-off ahead before it was too late. With a collective yelp they slipped and slid over rocks and moss, until it simply became easier to go with gravity. Down they tumbled over more rotten wood and slimy stones, until they slammed to a painful stop by means of a large boulder.

"M-mmally," she groaned. Her head was spinning, not altogether from the fall, and what she could see by the scattered forest moonlight was twisted and wavy.

"I'm not," she gasped, "I feel odd…"

"Quiet!" Mally hissed at her ear, and gently stroked the side of her face, her ear cocked to the side. She'd heard something.

Before them were voices. Female voices. Behind them, the roar of the bandersnatch could faintly be heard from the camp.

Unknown to Alice and Mally, they had been heard by others while crashing down the hill, and within minutes, Alice turned her face away from the uncharacteristically bright glow of a lantern.

"Alice?"

Lilas Thistle stared down in shock at the girl while her sister immediately dropped to tend to her.

"How did you escape? Yeh should'nae be…" Lilas trailed off, brows furrowing in anger.

Alice drew a shuddering breath. "I… he's coming…" she attempted to explain what had happened, but her voice simply gave out. Fear gripped Alice like a tangible fist wrapping its fingers around her like a vice. She was slowly losing all mental and physical faculties.

"Escape from who?" Mae asked, peering up at her sister.

The younger sister raked a hand through her hair. "From Stayne o'cours'!"

Mae looked up at her sister with wide, confused eyes. "What are yeh talkin' abou' 'Li?"

"Get away from her, sister. We've go' ta leave. _Nauw!_" She tugged on Mae's arm, whipping her head around in distress.

Alice's breaths were getting shallow and it was a struggle to even sit up with Mae's help. In that moment, however, she understood what had happened.

She stared up into the shadowed face of Lilas Thistle and realised that it was she who had sent the boy. It was she who had betrayed her.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hurry, come away!" Lilas desperately pulled on her sister's arm.

Mae, not certain whether to be irritated or extremely alarmed, gently laid Alice back against the boulder, and stood up to still Lilas' frantic tugging.

"Lilas, have yeh gone mad? Why would we leave Alice behin'?"

Lilas looked at her with wide, fearful eyes in the lantern light and shook her head. "It's only _she_ tha' he wants. Don' yeh understand? If he has her, he'll leave us all in peace, an' we can move on."

Mae gaped at her, dumbstruck.

Alice knew better and attempted to add to the argument. "No," she croaked, "he… Stayne wants Tarrant," her breath gave out and her limbs succumbed to a feeling she could only describe as 'rubbery.' At her ear, Mally whispered a quiet, "Hush."

Lilas pulled on her curly locks in desperation as her own Madness began to surface, marring her typically stoic features. She swung the lantern up to peer out into the darkness.

"Mae, we have ta go nauw before he find's yeh. He and I," she glanced down at Alice with an almost regretful expression, "we have an agreemen'." She looked back up to her sister. "You, however, don'."

Mae took a step towards Alice, jaw slack. Disappointment and disbelief etched across the lines of her face.

"Yehr a traitor?"

Lilas shook her head then blanched when the sound of men yelling nearby echoed through the trees. "I did wha' was best for me an' mine! She does'nae belong here." She jabbed a finger at Alice. "She's gon'ta' get Tarrant killed, an' I will no' allow tha' ta' happen!"

Mae wrung her hands in anger as if she would strangle her sibling. "How could yeh do this? We trusted yeh! Wha' else have yeh told tha' quislin', eh?"

Lilas stared at her, agog. "I have been putting my life on tha line, every day, ta keep you an' th'others safe. He knows only enough ta no' come gallumphin' in an' murderin' us all in our sleep."

Mae spat on the ground and turned back to Alice. "I won' be part of this, Lilas. It's Wrong. Nauw, you help me lift her," – Lilas looked up over her shoulder – "an' together we'll—"

Mae lurched forward with a cry in the middle of her sentence. Lilas screamed.

"Nae!" She dropped the lantern and rushed to her sister's side before she could hit the ground.

Alice heard footsteps stumbling through the wood, and she could just make out the dimly lit, doubled-vision of something sticking out of Mae's side.

"Mae, my sweet Mae," Lilas wailed over and over. The Champion watched helplessly as the healer's fingers danced over the arrow that had lodged itself near her sister's ribcage.

"Thistle!" shouted a very angry voice through the trees.

The sound caused Alice to go completely limp. Despair once again washed over her numb body. They'd been found and there was nothing she could do.

"Stayne!" Lilas screeched, kneeling over Mae's trembling body. "We had a deal!"

"Did we?" he asked and spun around to find Alice lying on the ground. "Well, at least you've caught the girl."

Stayne reached down and hauled her to her feet. Of course, she couldn't stand, so he ended up holding her to his chest.

Alice breathed heavily through her nose, the corners of her mouth turned down in an angry frown. She couldn't so much as even move her arms making any attempts at escape impossible.

"Speechless, I see." he mocked. "That'll be the poison. Compliments of your new acquaintance of course." He tossed over his shoulder, "Had it worked as quickly as I was promised we could have avoided this whole situation."

"Yeh've go' what yeh wan', nauw go on, Stayne. Ne'er return." Lilas stood between them and her sister. Her hardened voice was dark and venomous, and despite her treachery, Alice found some comfort in the fact that this vindictive creature would do all within her power to protect her Hatter.

"You're forgetting something," Stayne said as his horse shuddered to a stop beside him.

Lilas stepped forward and roughly shoved something that Alice couldn't see into his hand.

"Is this one better?" he sneered.

She nodded in disgust and turned away.

"Pleasure as always," Stayne said and turned away from the Healer. He hauled himself, and Alice, up onto the horse, settling her at his lap.

At her ear he whispered. "Unfortunately, my dear, we've run out of time. But perhaps it will please you to know that we'll be seeing your precious Hatter soon."

He then whistled into the dark and dug his heels into the horse's flanks. The sound of men on horseback sounded on all sides, and together the band of Red Loyalists, and Alice, pushed deeper into the woods, leaving Mae and Lilas behind.

* * *

They crashed through the forest jumping over trees, rocks and streams. Stayne kept one arm wrapped around Alice as she bounced helplessly in front of him with each gallop. Branches whipped across her face, and the tang of blood from a busted mouth had seeped through immobile lips.

Stayne was lamentably warm against her, and to her dismay, she increasingly found his presence more tolerable. Everything within her that remained resolutely Alice revolted at this idea. Had her body not shut down the notion of becoming his unwitting plaything would have otherwise sent her into hysterics. The thought of death was beginning to look almost cheerful in comparison.

"Mirana will have heard of this incident by now, especially since that damnable Cheshire Cat is here."

This gave Alice hope, and she fervently prayed that wherever Tarrant was it was with the queen and her army. There were more men riding with Stayne now than she'd seen before (the doubled-vision was even more distressing in that regard), and she doubted he and his supposed circle would have had time to gather their supporters so quickly. Of course, Lilas had been part of their group. What if she hadn't been the only double crosser? To that point, was he even alive?

She sank into a deeper hopelessness and soon lost track of time. And at any rate, Time seemed increasingly irrelevant to her fevered brain. She imagined that she must be uncomfortable, resting as she was in such an awkward position, but even that seemed like too great of an effort to worry about.

Furthermore, hearing aside, all sensory perception had broken down even further. In fact, she hadn't even realised that they had stopped until Stayne's booming voice called out above her to his men, startling her out of a morose reverie.

"Burn everything! Let them know fear!"

Alice slowly blinked her eyes and watched as spots of light, torches, streaked here and there through the darkness, until some grew into larger balls of flame. And then those turned into house-sized blocks of fire.

The sounds of people screaming as they ran out of their homes rang throughout the streets.

They had reached Farowen.

Immediately, Stayne began combing the streets. Outlanders in their nightclothes dodged his rampaging steed, and more than one man cried out as the knave ran his sword across their bellies in passing.

She couldn't even flinch when their blood spattered across her face.

"Where is the Mad Hatter now?" he yelled fanatically to the fleeing masses all around. "Where is your Protector now?"

In the distance, the sounds of blades clanging together carried through the night air and caught his attention.

"Has the cavalry arrived?" Hooves clopped over cobblestones, and villagers scurried away from the nightmarish image of the crazed man and his bloodstained stallion.

A few blocks away in the village square, men and women in varying stages of dress were fighting against the knave's militia. Alice's slowly beating heart skipped in response. They had been able to gather the clans after all! Her head lolled to one side, narrowly missing a wooden staff that clipped Stayne in the shoulder.

"So they have!" He brandished his sword. "Hatter!" he yelled, plunging into the thick of the battle.

The combination of a bright moon and the surrounding fire from the burning village was just enough to shed light on the crowd, and Alice tried as best she could to distinguish a wild tangle of red. As was Stayne. Soon, he uttered a soft cry, and they lurched ahead. Alice nearly slid off.

Before her, people were tangled together, limbs flashing back and forth, and ahead, she spied Tarrant fighting a tall man with a large club. Arris was beside him, protecting his back from a pair of plump, balding fellows with vicious little daggers.

"Missing something, Hightopp?" Stayned shrieked sadistically above the din.

Alice automatically winced as a hand fisted in her hair to jerk her head up. Those around them briefly stopped fighting, and her blurry eyes barely made out the outline of her beloved friend.

Tarrant's blade faltered in mid-air as he looked upon the knave with Alice. Stayne chuckled darkly and wrapped his arm back around her limp form and he dug his heels into the animal's flanks and took off. Behind them Tarrant cried out in anguish.

The stallion ploughed through every person before them, regardless of loyalty, and Stayne directed them away from the village towards the meadow at its border.

In her heart, Alice knew that the Hatter was already following, and she panicked. Stayne was using her to draw him out. Alone.

"Soon," he chanted to himself among other nonsensical babblings. He kept his arm around her tightly until they came to the edge of the forest, minutes later, where not a soul was present.

He slid out of the saddle and dropped her unceremoniously onto the hard ground. Alice thought she heard a _pop_ like cracking bones, but as she could hardly feel any sensation whatsoever, she wasn't sure if something had broken or not.

"Now we wait for him to follow." He added, "Which he will."

The knave then dragged Alice to an old, weathered tree stump, and placed her so that she appeared to be sitting up.

He stood back and surveyed this arrangement. Something, dissatisfaction perhaps, flashed in his black eye, and he cocked his head. Alice nearly whimpered.

"You don't mind if I make an adjustment do you?"

He reached for a small hunting knife on his belt and then slid the tip of its blade across her collarbone. Blood beaded up and streamed down the front of her tunic, soaking it to her skin.

"Much better."

Alice's mind screamed at what her body would otherwise have registered as Pain and Fear. The detachment at which he maimed her frightened her beyond all logic; it was unbearable! And having no control over anything that happened to her yet still retaining some trace of her mind, this, in and of itself, was torture. For a terrifying moment she wondered if she would always be consciously aware.

Stayne watched her eyes and the inner turmoil within with a sick sort of glee.

"Can you smile for me yet, Alice?"

The first stirrings of physical sensation twitched in her cheek at his command. Through the panic, she fought with every ounce of willpower she had left to disobey. Her lips remained slightly curved downward with hatred. It was a small victory.

Stayne frowned. "All in good time, I suppose." He stood back up and looked towards the village for any sign of the Hatter. "I hope you enjoy the spectacle, my dear. If I don't' kill him first, I'll have a pair of live puppets."

Alice's heart broke at the thought.

"Don't worry," he crooned, starting to back away, "I'll make him do the hard work. You won't leave my chambers very often."

He left Alice's field of vision and she faintly heard him run toward the trees.

Alice's heart had slowed to a worrisome pace, and she fought to control her breathing. Mercifully, she couldn't feel the wound he had just inflicted, but then again, that was almost more terrifying. She imagined tears slipping down her scratched and bruised face.

All she could do, control, was breathe. _In. Out. In._

The minutes ticked by in silence, and eventually Alice began to forget where she was again and why she was there, or what that distant, red glow in the sky was. She closed her eyes. Her inner voices had gone silent. She simply was.

As she decided she no longer existed, because how could one exist if one heard, saw, felt, or thought nothing (of importance), a reaffirming, yet distant, sound jolted her awake. Or, it would have jolted her had she been able to move. _'Ah, I do exist.'_

It was a thundering sound. A clopping maybe. The rhythm of it seemed familiar, but in the end she decided it didn't matter. And it was getting harder to breathe. Her eyes closed again, almost welcoming the darkness and the nothingness, when moments later her brain alerted her to the fact that she was falling. Or being shaken. Something odd at any rate.

There was a pale and blurry Something before her.

"Alice!" a terrified voice lisped.

_'Friend?'_ her mind asked, trying to wake up and exist again.

"Alice, my Alice," the man, the Hatter, shook her in alarm and gazed at the angry slash across her chest. His hands trembled as he tore off a strip of fabric from his coat and gently pressed it to the wound.

_'Fear!'_ her mind yelled. _'Go back!'_

He cradled her against him until she could see nothing but darkness against his shoulder.

_'Bad, bad, bad,'_ she thought. She was falling again.

When she opened her eyes, the Hatter was sprawling a couple feet away and Stayne stood tall and menacing above him. He twirled his sword in lazy circles while the Hatter scrambled back to his feet.

"You certainly took your time," he said and glanced at Alice. "We missed him, didn't we, dearest?"

Alice, of course, made no response and continued to lie in the crumpled position in which she'd fallen.

The Hatter was on his feet, sword in hand and took notice of this. "Alice?"

She was still.

He snarled at the knave and balled his fists nervously. "Why won' she move? What've yeh done ta her?"

Stayne crossed towards her and shrugged. The Hatter raised his broadsword and stepped between them to block his path.

"Why won' she move?" he demanded once again.

"Oh, that? She's going through a change, you might say."

Tarrant stared at him and then looked down to Alice in shock.

The knave laughed and tapped his sword against the Hatter's.

"She'll make such a pretty puppet won't she? Champion of the Walking Dead – what an honour."

"No…" Tarrant dropped to his knees with a cry, utterly stunned, and weakly looked into Alice's almost blank eyes.

_'I'm sorry.'_ she thought sadly.

The end of Stayne's sword pressed against his throat. He made no move to stop him.

"I have a proposition for you," he murmured.

At this, Tarrant tore his gaze from Alice, desperate.

"Name it."

Stayne produced two phials and held one out at arm's length.

"In this hand, I have another solution of poison." Stayne dangled the second glass closer to his person. "In the other, I have the antidote."

The Hatter stared at it.

"Just the one."

_'Lies!'_ she wanted to yell.

The dark man took a step back, taunting the Outlander, and held the antidote up to the moonlight; Tarrant held his breath.

"I'd be willing to arrange a trade. She hasn't turned yet, and I do so want vengeance." He twirled the poison in his left hand. "One soul for another."

_'No!'_

Without hesitation, Tarrant reached up and grabbed the phial, pulled the cork out with his teeth and swallowed it in one go.

_'No, no, no!'_ She watched in horror as he threw the empty glass tube away and crawled towards her.

"I'm sorry, my Alice," he whispered against her ear and placed a kiss against her temple.

Her mind went numb; he'd drunk it. Now they were both doomed – Stayne had his pair of live playthings just like he'd said he would. A tear slid down the length of her nose.

Tarrant stood up, coughing.

"Yeh have yehr trade. Give her th'antidote," he said, stretching out his hand.

Stayne clapped his together with delight and laughed. "You didn't even have to think about it, did you?" He smiled at the Hatter and shook his head. "You really are Mad."

Tarrant took another step towards him. "Give it. Nauw."

Stayne looked down at the antidote in his fingers. "Power is a heady thing, Hatter."

"I'm warnin' yeh, Stayne." Hatred dripped from his tinted lips with each syllable. He reached down for his broadsword.

Stayne gripped his own weapon and shook his head. "Fight for it."

The Hatter needed no further provocation. He was at the knave a heartbeat later, sword flashing, teeth bared with anger.

Clashes rang throughout the quiet meadow, and Alice was overcome with a weariness that threatened to overwhelm her. She was aware of also feeling incredibly warm. The second physical sensation since Stayne had asked her to smile.

Two blurry shapes twisted, dodged and swung at each other before her, but further than that she had no idea who was who or what was otherwise happening. She was just so tired. There seemed no point to anything anymore.

Near Alice's ankles, the tongue of a leather boot rippled, and a tiny dormouse emerged from its hiding place.

She ran up the length of Alice and growled in her ear. "How do you keep managing to get into trouble like this?"

Alice weakly opened her eyes as Stayne yelled out in pain. He had fallen to the ground due to a clever blow to his left leg, and the Hatter pounced on him, reaching for the phial.

"Hold on, Alice," Mally said.

Alice's eyes drooped further.

"Don't go to sleep now, ya lump!" Mallymkun grabbed the girl's eyelids and yanked them open. "Some Champion you are."

Further off, the Hatter was grappling with the knave for the phial.

"Give it up, Stayne," he ground out, grasping the glass between his dirty fingers.

Stayne took advantage of his exposed side and jammed a sharp elbow into his ribs. The Hatter rolled away in pain, coughing violently. He staggered to his feet to get his breath while Stayne reached over in the grass for his sword.

"How are you feeling?" he gasped as the Hatter shook his head, wobbling in place. "This one is working faster. Thistle is more skilled than I initially admitted."

Tarrant looked up at that and glared.

"You know, in the end she was easy to convince. She's terribly fond of you."

Something caught the Hatter's eye, and he stopped coughing for a moment long enough to stand up and smirk at Stayne.

"I know," he said, and then jumped off to the side as a frumiest bandersnatch Underland had seen in at least a century, came barrelling silently through the tall grass of the meadow and threw its entire weight into Ilosovic Stayne.

The knave was thrown forward and the glass phial was flung out of his hand and arced through the air.

Tarrant, who was staggering and coughing and weaving dangerously, tossed his sword aside and collapsed to his knees. Frantically he started searching the ground.

Behind him, the bandersnatch was snarling and snapping furiously while Stayne desperately fought him off.

Tarrant's hands flew over sticks and dried grasses until finally, _finally_ it settled across the smooth, cool surface of the phial.

Mally, for her part, was dancing on the spot by Alice's face as it lay on the ground, watching him slowly drag himself to Alice's side.

When he finally reached her Alice's eyes were closed and her lips unnaturally pale.

"Alice!" he cried, reaching for her shoulders.

Mallymkun raced up Alice's chest to stand by her jaw, ready to help if needed. Hatta's hands were shaking so violently that it looked as if he might drop it before the cure even reached her lips.

The stopper hadn't yet been fully removed when the bandersnatch roared out in pain and Mally jumped.

"Hatta!" she screeched.

Stayne was making his ragged way towards his prizes with fury twisting his ugly face. He kicked Tarrant in the ribs, sending him rolling away from Alice and dropping the phial beside her.

The Hatter sat up, blocking the next blow to his side and grabbed the knave's legs and twisted.

"I should have killed yeh on tha Frabjous Day," he grunted with effort.

Mally scampered back down to the ground and wrapped her arms around the phial. She dragged it through the grass and tugged on the half-loose cork. Once free, she carefully balanced the long tube against her back and began trying to climb up Alice's tunic.

The bandersnatch moaned several feet away.

Tarrant managed to knock Stayne over, and he quickly crawled back to Alice. The phial was gone.

"Hatter!" Stayne yelled, wiping a streak of blood from his brow and reaching again for the claymore.

Tarrant blinked as his vision unfocused. He lay on his back, panting, and stared up at Stayne.

An evil grin twisted the knave's lips and he raised his sword.

"Perhaps it was greedy of me to want two pets."

Tarrant rested his hand on top of Alice's at his side.

Stayne brought the sword above head. "I'm sure I'll keep the one busy enough as it is." He plunged the sword downward and the World seemed to slow down.

Stayne bent forward, throwing his weight into the swing. At Tarrant's side, Alice raised his sword from where it had fallen and she jammed it upward with every ounce of strength she had – straight through his black heart.

Stayne faltered, his one eye wide with shock and looked down at the blade whose hilt was the only thing visibly sticking out of him. His sword fell from his hands and he staggered back, jaw slack.

Alice's face held no emotion as she presented the empty phial before her. Mallymkun slashed her hatpin sword at him from the ground with pride; while on the ground Tarrant's lips were bowed with his familiar, toothy grin as he stared up at the sky. His hand remained clasped to Alice's.

With a final gasp, Stayne fell to the ground in a heap.

Mally had managed to pour the liquid down Alice's throat, and it had only taken seconds before she'd started feeling herself again. Seeing Stayne on the ground, she banished one solved problem in order to make room for the next. The realisation that Tarrant had taken the poison sunk in fully now, and desperately, she turned to him, grabbing his face between her palms.

"Tarrant?"

He placed his hands over hers, pupils askew in the moonlight, with his daffy grin still in place.

"Alice," he breathed with a lisp, "you did it. I knew you could." He coughed again and rolled over onto his side.

Alice scrambled to raise him up, cradling him in her arms, while Fear settled into her gut.

"You need an antidote! Lilas, she, her and Mae are somewhere in the forest," she muttered in a panic and then remembered the bandersnatch. He was attempting to limp towards them, which meant he wouldn't be able to get them anywhere that night.

"Oh, Alice," he sighed and leaned into her. "I'm so happy you're safe."

"Shh," she said, stroking his hair from his face. "We need to get you help." She sniffled as tears began to prickle the backs of her eyes.

He gripped her hand again and pressed it to his warm lips. "Don't worry about me. What's important is that you're safe. And you're You again."

Alice bit back a sob and rocked him slowly. "But what about You? What," she hiccupped, "what will I do without you?"

He twisted around to face her, perplexed. "Where am I going?"

Alice stared at him and shook her head. "You swallowed the poison! The Walking Death! You're already, it's affecting you!" she cried. She hugged him to her and finally started sobbing into his hair. She had no idea how she could get him out of here or even to Lilas' home to search for something, anything— she froze.

"The book!"

Tarrant stared up at her, still grinning, and coughed once. His eyes blinked separately. "What book?"

She sat up, gathering his face in her hands again, feeling a glimmer of hope. "The book, the book! I read a book!"

Tarrant laughed. "That's wonderful. I'm very fond of those."

"No, it was a book I found at the tavern! Mae had it and, oh—" she'd forgotten about Mae. "Oh no, Mae was injured."

The Hatter's grin faded with concern. "Injured? When?"

She waved him off, and with a pang, told herself to focus. _'Priorities, Alice.'_ And he was Top Priority first. "Never mind, her sister will take care of her, the wretch."

Tarrant's long eyebrows rose up in confusion.

Alice launched again into her previous trial of thought. "This book at Mae's, it tells of a woman who had discovered an antidote. Tarrant, if we can get back there maybe I could make something…" she stood up and began hauling him to his feet, arm slung around her shoulders.

"Can you walk? We can't waste any more time—"

"Yes," he interrupted, "I know all about this book."

Alice gazed at him, wondering if he were speaking out of delirium. "You do?"

He smiled at her and brushed a hand across her cheek. "Yes. Lilas has a copy of it as well."

She looked at him then and fought off a slight ache of jealousy, but was still confused.

"Their grandmother made them both copies. It's been in the family for years."

She was lost. "Their family?"

He nodded and stared at Alice's lips. "Aye. Although' ta be fair, Mae doesn' have much use for it. But it's been very helpful to 'Li. She's been practisin' on me for months nauw, an' if she weren' so skilled, I'd probably be dead."

Everything jammed to a stop and her mind reeled as she tried to process this information. "What? What are you talking about? What practising?"

He nodded and leaned in close to Alice. His coughing had subsided and he'd stopped wobbling. "Aye, sweetest. She's been givin' me doses of th'antidote for a while nauw. We both suspected somethin' like this migh' happen, yeh see. Though, tha' poison's still no' very pleasan'." His fingers brushed her curls back, and he dipped his nose to lightly inhale his Champion's divine scent.

Alice lips broke out into wide grin and she jumped up and down. "So, you're immune? You aren't going to die then?" she shrieked.

He shook his head and jumped with her in excitement. "Nae, yeh goose. What did yeh thin' she'd been givin' me this whole time? Tha poison?"

She instantly felt ashamed.

"I don't know what I thought," she admitted. She debated whether or not to tell him about how she'd bargained with Stayne yet, but his arms wrapped around her tightly and for just a moment she let everything else go.

She leaned into him and rejoiced in the feel of him warm and whole against her. He was alive, she was alive, but further than that she had no idea of anything else. He rested his chin atop her head.

Quietly they stood wrapped in each other's embrace, when eventually Bandy started whimpering and looking away towards the forest... whose trees appeared to be shaking.

Alice sighed with frustration and they turned to stare at the dark wall of forest before them. "What now?"

He took a step forward and after a moment jumped in surprise. "The White Queen!"

Tarrant grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bandersnatch. "Wait here," he said and went to find his broadsword.

"We can ride in with them. Oh, Alice. The village!"

Guiltily they both turned to stare at the red haze over Farowen until the sound of horses galloping, and the blaring of trumpets, and the delighted squeals of happiness from the Queen swallowed them up and carried them along.

There was still a battle going on in Farowen to win.

* * *

**A/N:** We're winding down now, only one more chapter left. Thank you to everyone who has read, particularly those who've left such kind reviews thus far. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Alice and Tarrant were swept away in a flurry of horses, banners and cheers and joined the Queen and her army, and as one, they stormed the village of Farowen. When the local clans and village natives realised that Marmoreal's army had arrived, they were more surprised at the show of support than they were to be fighting all of Stayne's reserves, and weren't certain how to proceed. Marmoreal had typically turned a blind eye to the affairs of the Outlanders, and to see them at all was fairly unnerving. Several had even thought that they were being hoodwinked and weren't sure who to fight.

Tarrant, knowing the queen's arrival would cause confusion, had quickly rallied his countrymen and women and joined alongside a white Knight that had been struggling against a ridiculously enormous man who had injured at least a dozen Outlanders that night. Together they brought him down, and then the battle was then well and truly on.

Thanks to the unexpected aid, the Loyalists quickly found themselves on the losing side, and within a relatively short amount of time, the clans and the queen's army defeated them. When the Reds' cries of surrender began ringing out on all sides, the villagers cheered, and for the first time in a year, there was much rejoicing to be had in Witzend's largest town.

Thankful to have the violence and bloodshed over with, Mirana had immediately set about seeing her company raise tents to create a shelter for those who had lost their homes, and then everyone was given tasks to handle the aftermath. Alice's injuries, and that wicked gash, had been seen to by the queen, who then asked her to assist with tending the wounded. Tarrant was designated impromptu overseer for prisoner control.

At some point in the busy night, Arris had learned of Mae's attack and had set out to locate her and Lilas while Allander worked alongside Tarrant. Mallymkun, in conjunction with Chessur and his imposing set of teeth, worked the line of Loyalists, threatening immediate action if they so much as put a toe out of order. And if they did, she promptly stabbed it.

For hours they had all worked diligently, and it wasn't until the sun rose the following morning against a backdrop of rosy pinks and soft purples that Alice and Mirana finally got a chance to rest. The queen bid a quick farewell to her Champion to catch a few hours of sleep, and Alice wearily made her way towards the tavern. Her body ached with fatigue and stung with mild pain, and her mind roiled with a thousand jumbled thoughts. She wanted a bed, she wanted the Hatter, she wanted to sleep for hours and not move for days. Preferably beside him.

Mechanically, her feet shuffled towards her intended destination, when halfway there she stopped in the middle of the road. Her sleepy logic caught up to her, and she realised that there would be more room at the inn as it was currently full of the injured and newly homeless. Internally she groaned with frustration, and looked all about. Given her previous experiences she wasn't entirely sure where she could go that she would be welcome. At once the stress and exhaustion from the past day began seeping into her bones, and in a fit of pique tears stung her eyes and a desperate loneliness consumed her.

Hesitant hands slid across her shoulders and she spun around in surprise. The sight of Tarrant's wide green eyes greeted her brown ones, and for a moment all could do was look at one another, each silently acknowledging what they had come through and survived. He stood before her offering solid, unspoken support; his simple presence was a welcoming, soothing balm to her frazzled nerves.

When Alice didn't pull away, his hands slid down her arms and for several quiet moments his thumbs rubbed comforting circles against her tired muscles while she regained her composure.

"How is Mae?" he asked softly.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Arris found them a couple of hours ago. Lilas is tending her at the tavern. Between the pair of them, she'll be just fine," she said and looked away. She still hadn't told him about the Healer's treachery.

Tarrant cocked a lopsided grin and nodded. His emboldened fingers ghosted down her arms to thread in hers as he studied Alice in the blossoming morning light. She fought the compulsion to turn away for she knew she must look horrid. Her hair had reached a new level of unkempt previously unknown; her eyes were faintly ringed with purple smudges; one lip was busted; a long, pinkish-silver streak marred the half-healed spot where Stayne had flayed her (Mirana's poultice be praised), and there were numerous scrapes, scratches and bruises dotted across her skin.

He smiled. To him, she had never been lovelier.

Tears again threatened to fall under his affectionate gaze and she blinked them away.

"I'm tired," she whispered.

"Have you some time?" he asked with hesitation.

She nodded.

Keeping her hands in his, he led her away to a stable where several horses had been bedded down for the night, some still in their saddles.

"Will you come with me?"

Alice quirked a brow in question.

"It isn't far," he promised.

They rode out of the village and into the woods, and as before, said nothing during their journey. Alice abandoned all pretense of nerves and linked her arms around his waist and leaned heavily against him. She greedily absorbed the warmth from his back against her cheek and chest and sighed with contentment.

They picked their way along, and to Alice, the sounds of the waking woodland at daybreak were pleasantly different than the sounds she'd previously associated with the forest. There were cheerful birds chirping along the path; a soft wind kindly rustled the leaves in the trees and on the ground. In the golden morning light, it somehow felt safer now. Welcoming. Protective. As it, perhaps, was meant to be.

True to his word, in no time at all they arrived in a clearing beside a sweetly bubbling brook in which a slightly ramshackle, but endearing, modestly sized cottage sat at its centre. Limbs and branches littered the property, overgrown shrubbery had nearly claimed the front door, and gobs of leaves and debris lined the roof where a fallen branch from a nearby oak had punctured a hole through the thatching. Obviously, it not been inhabited in recent times.

Tarrant tied the horse to a leaning hitch post and raised his arms to Alice. She regarded him quietly, and with a soft smile, slid into his arms, allowing him to help her down.

He bit his lip to stifle a smile that Alice suspected was brought on by a bout of pure Glee, and again, he took her hand in his and timidly led her to the front door.

"This is where I grew up."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she vaguely recognized the area they had passed near the other day. He had… brought her to his home.

Tarrant stared sadly around at the sparse patches of growing grass around the cottage, and the few be-leafed trees nearest the edge of the clearing. The ones further out were dry and lifeless.

"It took a long time f'green ta return ta Iplam," he murmured.

The door creaked open at his touch, and inside it was quaint if not dusty. There was furniture draped in moth-eaten cloths, dark wooden beams in the ceiling were frosted with a layer of spider webs, and in places the windows were so caked with years of dirt that light could hardly shine through. Alice smiled. There was something else here. Even through the dust and perceived gloom there was an underlying feeling of a once well-loved…_home_. It was perfect.

Tarrant led her inside and waited quietly as Alice inspected his childhood home with curiosity.

"I haven' been here in years," he said, following her into the kitchen where heavy, cobwebbed, black skillets hung on racks, and an empty hearth took up one entire wall. "Could'nae risk it."

Alice nodded. It made sense, of course, that he wouldn't want to lead anyone here and chance having it destroyed. He'd chosen to sleep in caves, or trees, and the hard, cold earth rather than lure anyone here. It was his last physical link to his family.

He watched her carefully and as the minutes ticked by and appeared more and more apprehensive. The home, despite very obviously not having been occupied in so long, held onto that spirit of Home. There were towels on racks, dishes on cupboards – it was as if Life had very abruptly stopped here one day.

"It used ta be nice," he explained. "'Fore tha… before the jabberwock, our family had been fortunate to enjoy some amount of privilege. We were employed at Court, of course." He had drifted towards a dark mantle where small dust covered objects were arranged on top. His fingers brushed lovingly over the worn wood. "Yeh should've seen it then."

Alice watched him with sleepy eyes and a sad heart as his eyes melted into a melancholic yellow and his wild brows wilted with the pain of memories past. How much it must have taken him to be able to come back and allow her in. She watched as he continued his exploration of relics from his youth and imagined how wonderful it could look in the future. All it needed was a little time and care. And several feather dusters.

"It's lovely," she said.

Tarrant's anxious eyes fixed on her and, at her expression, cleared with relief.

"I'm glad to hear you say it," he lisped, once again full of cheer. "This is the ancestral home of the Hightopp Clan." He gazed around at the kitchen he'd spent countless hours in with his family as a young boy. He flicked a glance at Alice. "One day I hope to make it so again."

Alice felt her heart pulse at the thought. Would he want to include her in those plans one day?

"Come," he said merrily, reaching his hand out for hers. "I want to show you my Fa's workshop."

He led her excitedly through a few more rooms, promising to give her a proper tour another time, until they reached a large, cobwebbed room at the end of the cottage. Numerous dusty windows filled with muted but glorious sunshine illuminated this space, lending a cheerful air to the neglected room.

His eyes wandered affectionately over every surface, and Alice gazed in appreciation at the shelves upon shelves of old fabrics and bric-a-brac of a hatter's trade.

"This is where I stitched my first tam o'shanter!" he grinned. "And over here is where I learned how to tie a formal bow."

Alice laughed at his enthusiasm as he flew around the room pointing out this First that and that First this. It was truly wonderful to be in a place as special and sacred as his family home, sharing in his memories. Her chest tightened and an all-encompassing feeling of happiness washed over her.

Tarrant turned and gazed at her with his dopey grin, the perfect picture of peace. She reached a hand out to him in invitation.

He walked towards her, taking it, and pulled her into his arms. There was a sudden bashfulness about him, in the tense way he held her, and she peeked up into his eyes. They were blue.

She chuckled and tilted his chin up to get a better look. "Your eyes are enchanting," she murmured.

He blushed, the darling thing, and kissed the inside of her palm.

"Alice."

She stared up into those fathomless pools and strongly considered kissing him.

"We must get you to bed."

Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows flew to her hairline.

A half-second later his jaw dropped, the flush deepened to an interesting shade of crimson, and he stammered an apology that rapidly slipped between his courtly lisp and rakish burr.

"That is you've been a Very Busy Alice, and of course yeh'll need a bed, an' I jus' happen ta have one – no!, that is, I do, but upstairs, and you will sleep in it on your own time, if you like rather, but don' feel like I'm suggestin' anythin' untoward—"

"Hatter," she said softly, placing her fingers over his lips.

He closed his eyes in embarrassment and quieted.

A bed was exactly what Alice wanted, and even more than that, she wanted him beside her. She laced her fingers through his.

"Will you lie down with me?"

He swallowed and nodded immediately then led her away from the workshop and up a set of stairs to his former bedroom.

Her exhaustion prevented her from taking in too much detail, but a small but comfortable looking bed sat underneath a window hung with dusty, checkered curtains. She sank onto the wobbly mattress, avoided his stare, and undid the laces of her boots then toed them off. He did the same and then anxiously waited for her to signal his next move.

Not intending or otherwise having the energy to strip any other article of clothing off, she slid over to one side of the little bed. An uncomfortable couple of positions later, Alice rolled onto her side and twisted her head around to look up at him. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest at the look he gave her as he stared down at her lying in his childhood bed.

He cleared his throat and gently eased himself down beside her, and after his own awkward moment of trying to keep from falling off the side to accommodate her, resigned himself to simply curling up with his chest to her back.

He lay tense against her, but regardless she revelled in the warm feel of him and sighed with deep contentment. Boldly, she reached for his arms and wrapped them around her; a move he happily complied with as he instantly relaxed around her with a soft hum.

They lay together on the too-small, creaky bed, in the quiet of his childhood bedroom. As Alice's mind finally drifted off with his arms tightly wrapped around her, a smile graced her lips. She wouldn't trade anything, in either World, for this moment.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Alice, Tarrant had awoken and watched her sleep for nearly an hour before he'd finally, gently, shaken her awake a lamentably too small amount of time later. He'd brushed Alice's sleep-mussed curls from her eyes and suggested they return to Farowen to assist the queen before she sent out a search party to look for them.

With a groan, she had reluctantly agreed, and rolled over to blink at him until her gritty eyes came into focus. He smiled that crooked smile that made her breath hitch and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. Alice had to bite her fist to stop from reaching out and tugging him back when he sat up to pull his boots back on. The bed creaked as he turned and held a hand out for her when she hadn't moved quickly enough, and eventually she pulled her own boots on, grumbling. He chuckled and left to untie their waiting mount outside.

Alice sighed. If she were perfectly honest, she was a little upset at having to leave his warm embrace, his bed, and his charming home in the clearing so soon. If indeed at all.

The return trip took no time at all, and they arrived at roughly mid-morning, to Mirana's great relief, and awaited her next orders.

The queen's large brown eyes gazed adoringly at her subjects, and she asked Tarrant to please assemble those who were considered local leaders to meet her for a Much needed discussion as quickly as possible. He agreed and gave Alice a look so filled with longing that it made her positively want to melt where she stood, and left.

Mirana squeezed Alice's hand and gracefully led her to where she'd set up her temporary quarters.

"Alice," she said, gesturing for the young woman to sit in a modest wooden chair beside her equally simple one, "you have been Very Busy." A mischievous twinkle flashed in her doe-like eyes with a grin to match.

Alice quirked her brows, slightly confused and possibly a little embarrassed. "Your Majesty?"

Mirana waved her off with a sly smirk. "You've Found him."

Alice sat calmly on her hard little stool and tried to understand what her sovereign was explaining. Locating him had been her task, hadn't it?

She opted for a safe, simple reply. "Yes."

The queen nodded and smiled. As she spoke her voice grew momentarily sad and contemplative. "You found where he was hiding, and then you Found him and convinced him to come back to us. He'd been missing for so long that I thought even had he come home he would be lost."

With a glance at Alice, though, she shook herself and placed her wide grin back where it belonged.

"But enough of that. Now you're back, and he's back, and everything is getting to the way it should be."

A guard cleared his voice outside the tent and poked his head in respectfully.

"The Hatter has returned, Your Majesty."

"Yes, he has, and excellent, please show him and his guests in." She turned to Alice. "As my Champion, Alice, I'd like it if you stayed."

"Of course," she replied.

Tarrant entered with several men and women who followed cautiously behind him. Allander winked at her as soon as they made eye contact.

Mirana stood while they trailed in. "Hello, everyone," she said as politely and respectfully as possible.

The Outlanders nodded, some returned the greeting, but all regarded her warily. Tarrant aside, there roughly six others gathered.

"Your Highness," Hightopp said with his lisp, "I believe these are the best candidates with whom you should speak."

"Thank you, Tarrant." She addressed the representatives. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've asked my Royal Hatter to call you here. It is no surprise to any present that the relationship between Marmoreal and Witzend has become… strained to say the least."

Several grumbled in response.

"So yeh've come ter claim yehr authority, have yeh?" said an older man with a long, wispy beard and one squinty eye.

Mirana bowed her platinum head. "I would never wish to encroach where I am unwanted. Witzend has not had a monarch for many years—"

"An' it will stay tha' way!" exclaimed another.

"Let her speak, yeh ignorant goat," a plump, wizened woman interjected, quieting her riled up countryman. Tarrant flashed the tiniest of grins at her in approval. She was head of Clan Longbow.

Mirana smiled politely. "Thank you. I simply meant to say that I have failed you all in lending assistance in the past. It is no excuse, but Marmoreal has had quite a few troubling years recently, and my continuance to overlook the needs of the West resulted in a dangerous situation. You have my sincerest apologies."

A tall man with steel coloured hair stepped forward. "What is it Marmoreal wants in return for its assistance?"

Mirana's lovely eyes fluttered in surprise. "It's friendship."

The gathered clansmen and women considered her words and held a brief meeting before continuing its talks with the Queen.

Tarrant and Alice stayed mostly silent during the discussions, and when the meeting was almost over, the Lady Longbow voiced a question at large.

"An' who exactly did yeh have in min' ta represent us an' our interests a' Court?"

The leaders all mumbled in response and Mirana's brilliant smile was directed at the Hatter.

"Fortunately, I've had a dear member of my staff who has always had Witzend's best interests at heart."

Tarrant's askew eyes boggled and he gazed at the queen with surprise.

"In fact, if you'll forgive me once again, he's been here this whole time on my orders. I couldn't risk letting Stayne's power grow any further. My only regret is that I didn't send him sooner."

Alice felt a warmth blossom in her chest as she gazed at him in full reticence.

"Well then, boy?" asked the steel-haired lord.

The Hatter's mouth worked silently for a moment. "I am merely a hatter," he said quietly to the group at large.

Alice stepped forward and placed a hand in his. "You're more than that."

He turned his emerald eyes on her and beamed.

Mirana gazed at the pair of them. "Mm, you do have a point, Tarrant. Should you accept a role as Witzend's diplomat, I would certainly need to find another hatter as skilled as you." She sighed and went on. "I would also terribly miss your company as, of course, you would be required to divide your time between your two homes. Oh, you do have a home here, don't you?" she asked sweetly.

Tarrant turned to look at her, understanding dawning on his face.

"Aye, tha' he does," Lady Longbow said. "An' it's been empty for too long. It's high time tha Hightopp Clan re-established itself if yeh ask me."

A few members nodded in agreement. Tarrant's cheeks and the threads of his tattered jacket flamed pink with unspoken happiness.

Mirana placed a delicate hand upon his arm. "Do you accept, dear friend?"

Alice squeezed his hand in encouragement and he nodded a weak affirmative.

"Excellent, then it's settled. The Hightopp's shall be named Witzend's official diplomat to Marmoreal until such time as they deem necessary." At his sudden stricken look she added, "With limited official hatting duties. Tradition is tradition of course."

He sighed with relief before another concern flashed before his eyes.

"Your Highness," he lisped and cast an uncertain gaze about the assembly, "a Clan, that is, there is still only the one Hightopp. You said 'Hightopp's'…" his voice trailed off sadly, a vacant expression settling across his features.

Mirana shook her head and flicked a glance to Alice. "I'm certain it won't be an issue for much longer." With a grin, she turned towards the snickering clan leaders and continued light discussions. Alice tugged on his hand to lead him away.

While they exited, the Hatter blinked rapidly at the queen's suggestion and snuck glances at Alice through his lashes. She, for her part, was full to bursting with pride, and as soon as they left the tent, she brushed a kiss to his cheek and flashed a radiant smile at him.

"Tarrant, this is wonderful for you! You'll be back at Court, and making hats, and can work on your family's home." She sighed with happiness and leaned her head against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, an equally beatific smile on his lips.

Quietly she murmured, "Soon everyone will be home."

Tarrant held her in his arms, and at her words his grin faded. "Everyone will be home," he repeated with a whisper.

Alice found herself suddenly released from his hold and looked up to find Dark Hatter staring back down at her. His eyes had returned to a sickly yellow and the smudges underneath were black. "Home."

"Hatter?"

He flinched and took a step back. "Hatter again?" he said accusingly.

"What?"

His fists balled at his sides and he paced anxiously back and forth. "Hatter again. Hatter, again," he repeated over and over.

Farther off the queen and clan leaders had emerged from the tent. Mirana said goodbye and waltzed to where Alice stood staring at Tarrant in alarm. She looked between the pair.

"What has happened?"

Alice shook her head and shrugged. "I have no idea."

The Hatter was grumbling nonsense to himself and continued pacing back and forth.

Mirana watched him warily. "Perhaps he needs a distraction. We're getting ready to leave, but before we go, I would like to check on the sick once more. Will you come with me?" She cast another glance at her Hatter and fluttered her fingers. "Let's bring him with us."

Alice assented, and when the queen asked Tarrant to come along, he briefly snapped out of his mental tirade with a shake and followed after.

The trio made their way to the tavern first, and all the while Alice snuck concerned glances at him. He, for his part, ignored her entirely.

They made their rounds with Mirana showing serious concern about the lack of suitably trained people tending the ill.

"Where are your Healers?" she asked a young woman changing bandages.

"We don' have many, Highness. An' Thistle won' come ou'v Mae's room."

"Thistle?" the queen asked.

Alice stepped forward. "She's a Healer. Her sister owns this tavern and was injured." She added, "They were part of the group who helped Tarrant."

Mirana nodded and furrowed her brows. "Was she hurt gravely?"

The young woman replied. "Nae, ma'am. She's doin' much better nauw."

The queen and healer looked around at several people quietly moaning in pain. "I don't understand. Why isn't Thistle out here then?" To her logic, leaving people who needed care unattended was simply unacceptable. It was akin to purposefully causing harm, which was, of course, against her vows.

"Guilt." Tarrant said quietly.

The queen's lips thinned silently, but they moved on eventually making their way to where Mae was resting peacefully abed. Lilas was sitting in a chair by her side and barely made any move to acknowledge their entrance. Alice frowned.

"How is she?" the queen asked gently.

Lilas glanced at her briefly. "Weak. She lost a lot of blood."

The queen nodded and opened her lips as if to add something further but paused. Then, "Battles and war are never easy, but you mustn't place the blame for your sister's condition solely upon your shoulders. She volunteered to help Tarrant and knew the full repercussions of her actions. You both should be proud of what you've managed to accomplish."

Alice narrowed her eyes remembering exactly was Lilas had "accomplished" and itched to speak, but was stilled by the look of pure misery upon the anguished Healer's face. Lilas turned her face away and said nothing in reply, refusing to even look at anyone.

Mirana placed a hand in sympathy upon her shoulder and swept out.

Alice and Tarrant stood tensely in the room while Mae slept. Through the silence Lilas glanced at Tarrant with an expression filled with heartache. He met her eyes once with his flame red ones, and then looked away, specifically, to Alice. Lilas bent her head and drew in a shuddering breath. He had made his choice.

Despite her underlying anger, Alice couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman in her hour of darkness. And while had she longed to say something about her role in her capture, a larger part of her accepted that Lilas' protection of Tarrant and the fact that, in the end, despite her unwavering loyalty to him she had still lost, was enough to call them even. Exposing her for something that now had no bearing on the future would do no one any good, and at any rate, Lilas seemed to be in the midst of her own personal torture as a result.

"I hope that Mae has a swift recovery," Alice finally said. She sent Mae one final look and turned to leave the room.

Tarrant, who had remained silent the entire time, began to follow, and when Alice disappeared around the door, he stopped in front of the woman, keeping his gaze fixed ahead.

"Lilas." One word, hard as stone and edged with Madness, was all he said.

Her lower lip trembled and a silent tear fell to the floor.

The last Hightopp stood before her one moment longer and then resolutely left her and the room behind.

Rounding the corner, he nearly slammed into Alice, who had been waiting in the hall. She stared up at him, her eyes wide, and jaw set.

"Do you know?" she asked, having heard his exchange.

He opened his lips to speak but ultimately said nothing and brushed past her.

Enraged, Alice tore after him. Once outside he continued on to find the queen as bid.

"Hatter!" she yelled.

He spun around, eyes wild. "Not. My. Name."

"I'll call you what I bloody want!" she shouted, temper fully engaged. "Did you know about Lilas?" she asked again, her blood boiling, and willing the word 'betrayal' to stop echoing around her skull.

He stared at her, chest heaving with emotion, and pursed his lips. "I had many suspicions, but I had hoped… to be wrong."

She gaped at him then as her jaw fell open.

"You knew her alliance this whole time? And you said nothing?"

His fingers fluttered anxiously and he squeezed his eyes shut as Madness threatened to consume him once again. "Her loyalty was ultimately—"

"To you? Well then, in that case, you should be up there with _her_ and everyone can get back to way things were, and you can all be one happy family!"

She knew she was being childish, but her jealousy and hurt had overridden Sense, and the idea that he perhaps preferred her was too much to handle on too little sleep. This time she brushed past, leaving him behind, and stomped off.

In shock, Tarrant stared and then set his jaw and strode after her.

"Perhaps I should, yeh'll be wantin' ta ge' back Home. Far be it for me ta try an' stop yeh."

"What?" she hissed, glaring ahead.

Several yards off the queen, along with Chess, Mally, the Longbow brothers, their mother and a few passers-by had stopped conversing to watch the spectacle.

"Lovers quarrel," Mirana sighed mistily.

"Lovers?" Allander repeated, scandalised.

The pair's voices carried over again.

"Yeh never _stay_, Alice." he finally said with a broken voice.

This stopped the Champion in her tracks and she stared at him.

Tarrant wrung his hands then shook his head in despair and once more began to pace in a way that resembled a tiger she had seen once at a zoo in London.

"Yeh never stay," he said again, exhaling a great rush of air, wilting before her like a man defeated.

"Yeh always come when tha World is fallin' apart. And once yeh've fixed it, yeh go off again an' leave me to crumble into a thousand tiny pieces." His voice lowered and his eyes fell to the ground. "They are very hard to find and put back together."

Alice was struck speechless.

Beneath a mop of red, a pair of pale green, sad eyes pleaded with her to Understand. "You'll leave again. And again. And again and again and again—"

"Tarrant."

He closed his eyes.

A rush of emotion swept through Alice, nearly knocking her off her feet, and more blasted tears stung her eyes. Carefully, and with Purpose, she closed the distance between them and placed her hands on his cheeks. Was his behaviour really because of something as simple as fear?

"Tarrant." She leaned her forehead against his. That road that Alice had been trying to avoid crossing while they'd been fighting to survive appeared as if it had finally arrived. It was all or nothing. "When I said 'home' I meant… with you. I feel more at Home here than anywhere else."

She felt him tense beside her and when he looked up, he regarded her as a puppy might its favourite child.

"My family is in Upland, and of course I'll go back to visit, but I hope, that is, I know you would like to rebuild your childhood home, and I would love nothing more than to," she stuttered, feeling completely vulnerable on the brink of her admission. "And I know you have a history with others but, if there was any way that you—"

Tarrant, having now experienced being on the other side of someone's inane rambling, decided the best way to handle such a thing was with a kiss. He gently pressed his lips to hers and slowly, his clasp against her tightened with the hope that this would be all the answer she would need. Alice felt a huge weight lift from her at his touch, and she eagerly responded. Laughing through tears and fierce kisses, she clung to him with all the desperation and affection she could manage.

"Och, look a'tha'!" Allander Longbow groaned in disgust and disappointment from his place beside the queen. "I haven't a chance in all of Underlan' nauw."

At his side, Arris clapped him sympathetically on the shoulder. "I'm not sure yeh ever did, brother. Come on, let's go check on Mae."

The pair turned away from the queen's party and headed towards the tavern, past the oblivious couple, with Allander ribbing him good-naturedly. "I nearly did."

"Prove it."

"Yeh weren' there a'th'start of tha evenin'. Eatin' ou've tha palm o'me hand, I tell yeh."

"Yehr dreamin', lad." Their voices faded until they disappeared, and Mirana attempted to not see her Royal Hatter passionately embracing her Royal Champion as if Underland were ending that very night.

After a moment, she politely cleared her throat, twice, and eventually they broke apart to find they'd had an audience. Alice immediately stood up straight and averted her eyes in embarrassment, while the Hatter smirked at Lady Longbow with a swagger in his stance.

"I beg your pardon," Mirana said, "but my emissaries and I are ready to leave for Marmoreal, and it would be of great service to me if you both came along to retrieve supplies to bring back to Farowen."

They both nodded in agreement, and Tarrant, who was already missing Alice's presence against him, took a long sidestep towards her and craftily slid his arm around her waist. From then on out he would have absolutely no shame when it came to her.

The queen exhaled happily. "Very well. You shall come to Marmoreal, I will swear you in as my newest dignitary, and then the pair of you can return to help rebuild and," she pursed her lips and arched an elegant brow, "get settled." Aside, she leaned over to Alice and whispered, "I'm very excited for you, my dear."

The White Queen's page led her brilliant, snowy stallion over (with footstool), for her to mount, and she daintily took hold of the reins.

"Oh!" she said with a start. "There are so many things to plan! We'll need to get started at once on a celebratory ball to mark our victories – you'll both be in attendance, I trust?"

Alice's eyes widened in surprise while Tarrant nodded emphatically.

"I've never been to a Royal Ball before," Alice mused.

"Had you waited even a day, you would have been stunned at the last one," Tarrant murmured sarcastically.

Mirana tutted.

"Will this be a formal occasion then?" he asked with excitement. A gleam appeared in his emerald eyes, and he fairly bounced on his toes. To those gathered, it seemed as if the Hatter was starting to come back to his old self.

"Of course," Mirana answered.

He flashed his trademark gap-toothed grin and clapped. "Excellent! I have so missed my hat."

At this, Chess frowned at finally having to relinquish the beloved head wear and bid the group goodbye with a puff of smoke.

The bandersnatch arrived, looking much improved after a good night's rest and care, and affectionately greeted Alice, and Tarrant helped her to climb up, with Mallymkun following shortly.

"I'll be happy to see you reunited with your top hat again," Alice said.

He leaned forward on tip-toe and placed a kiss on her lips.

She turned her chin to the side and whispered into his hear in a tone full of promise, "I look forward to afterward taking it off of you as well."

Tarrant went stiff, his mouth agape, eyes wide and brilliantly blue-green. An instant later, he snapped into action and leapt up behind her, patting the bandersnatch enthusiastically.

"Well, let's be off then! We haven't another moment to spare, and I'm very tired of waiting."

With that proclamation, the White Queen's escort, the dormouse and bandersnatch, the Champion and the Hatter, set off into the late morning sun with full hearts and the promise of a bright future.

And like most fairy tales, they all lived happily ever after.

The End

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you very much to all who gave this story a shot and read this little Alice fic. It was... a learning experience. ;) I would SO love and appreciate any feedback or con. crit you may have - not kidding when I said it was a learning experience.

Thank you again, everyone!


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